Clinical Terms

Task 9. Study the definitions of some clinical terms. You cannot deal with the articles from dictionaries and magazines concerning some pathological conditions of nervous system if you don’t know the meaning of some specific terms. The terms are being explained in strict succession of the articles suggested:

encephalomyelitis [en'kefsloumais'laitis] — inflamma­tion of the brain and spinal cord; specifically, a virus disease

aphasia [ae'feizja] — a total or partial loss of the power to use or understand words, usually caused by brain disease or injury ^ paranoid feelings (paranoia) [,paera'noi3] — a men­tal disorder characterized by systematized delusions, as of grandeur or, especially, persecution, often, except, in a schizophrenic state, with an otherwise relatively intact personality

paranoid Lpaera'noid] ■— characterized by oversuspicious­ness, grandiose delusions or delusions of persecution lethargy ['Ie09d3i] — a condition of abnormal drowsi­ness or torpor (a state of being dormant or inactive; temporary loss of all or part of the power of sensation or motion); a great lack of energy; sluggishness, dull­ness, apathy, etc. According to Greek and Roman Mytho­logy Lethe was the river of forgetfulness, flowing through Hades, whose water produced loss of memory in those who drank of it

hallucination [ha,lu:si'neij(s)n] — the apparent per­ception of sights, sounds, etc. that are not actually present: it may occur in certain mental disorders languor ['lasrjga] — an inertia or limpness that results from indolence, enervating weather, a dreamy, ten­der mood, etc.

lassitude riaesitju:d] — suggests a listlessness, or spirit­lessness resulting from overwork, dejection, etc.stupor ['.stju:pa] — suggests a state in which the facul­ties and senses are deadened, as by emotional shock, alco­hol or narcotics

hysteria [his'tiaria] —'a psychiatric condition variously characterized by emotional excitability, excessive anxiety, sensory and motor disturbances, or the unconscious simu­lation of organic disorders, such as blidness, deafness, etc.; any outbreak of wild, uncontrolled excitement of feeling, such as fits of laughing and crying meditation [,medi'teijXa)n] — act of meditating; deep, continued thought

neurologist [nju3^/rolad3ist] — a specialist in neurol­ogy, which is the branch of medicine dealing with the nervous system, its structure and its diseases disease of cerebellar hemisphere ['hemisfia] —' a di­sease of either lateral half of the cerebrum or cerebellum telepathy [ti lep90i] —■ supposed communication be­tween minds by some means other than the normal sen­sory channels; transference of thought mononucleosis [,mon3'njukleousis] — the presence in the blood of an excessive number of cells

Task 10. These equivalents will come handy while de­ciphering (interpreting) some clinical terms to the theme studied. Compare and remember them: Greek	Latin	English	Ukrainian
encephalo	cerebrum, i n	brain	головний
			мозок
phas(o)	oratio, onis f	speech	мовлення
nous (noid)	memoria, ae f	mind	пам’ять
lethe	obliviosus,	forgetful	забуття
(lethary)	a, um; latere	to forget	забувати
aluein	hallucinari	hallucination	галюцинації
	hallucinatus
drome	curro, ere	to run	бігти
sym- (syn-)	cum	together; with	разом; з
oaryo (caryo)	nucleus, i m	kernel; nucleus	ядро
mnemo	memoria, ae f	memory	пам’ять
biaschizo	bifidus, a, um	forked	роздвоєний
crino	findere; se-	to cleave; to	розділяти
	paräre	divide
glio	gluten, inis n	glue	клей
meningo	tunica, ae f	membrane	оболонка
paed	infans, antis f	infant; child	дитина

psycho	spiritus, us m	spirit	дух
schizo	secco, are	to cut	різати
	concido, ere
phren	mens, mentis f	mind	розум
astr(o)	astrum, і n	star	зірка
coptein	concidere	to cut	різати
polio	cinereus, a, um	grey (gray)	сірий
plegia	contusio, onis f	hit; blow	удар
taxo	or do (Acc. ordi-	order	наказ
	nem), inis m

Task 11. Read and comprehend the dictionary articles and give their summaries:

MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS (from LRONW)

Myalgic encephalomyelitis (abbreviation ME) a viral disease which affects the nervous system and produces long- lasting effects of fatigue and poor coordination.

The disease is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or ME, which was un­known 20 years ago... It would appear that whichever virus or viru­ses is implicated in ME the patient may present with neurological symptoms, while depression, lethargy, inordinate fatigue, mood swings, paranoid feelings, hallucinations, forgetfulness, inability to concentrate and nominal aphasia are psychological.

It is very difficult to describe ME, and we 'all look so Well a lot of us, and it’s only when people are chronically ill with ME that they start getting the muscle wastage.

The true nature of this disease is only now becoming understood, and indeed it is still controversial. The generalized malaise it produces has led in the past to its being called the “malingerer’s disease”, because doctors could not find anything physically wrong with people suffering from it. The discovery that a virus seems to be implicated in it has led to the coinage of the less disparaging name of post-viral syndrome for the set of distressing and disabling symptoms which can blight sufferers’ lives for very many years. There is no cure, but treatment with antibiotics can alleviate the symptoms! Many doctors still believe that there is a psycho­somatic element to the syndrome, inasmuch as its extreme duration has a depressant effect on sufferers, which make them feel even worse. With increased knowledge of the condition, an ME action Campaign has been formed in Britain to provide support for those with the disease.

Royal Free Disease (from LRONW)

The name derives from the fact that myalgic encephalomy­elitis was first identified when an epidemic affected 220 nurses at the Royal Free Hospital, London, in 1955. The outbreakwas subsequently dismissed as mass hysteria, but more recent work on the disease has confirmed the original diagnosis.

Royal Free disease or myalgic encephalomyelitis has divided medi­cal opinion for over 30 years.

Yuppie Flu (from LRONW)

British informal Myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Is this “yuppie flu” simply a fashionable malaise or should we be treating sufferers with more sympathy — and urgency?

Wobbly (from LRONW)

British informal a fit of uncontrollable rage.