Theme X. At the chemist’s

Topical vocabulary

according to – согласно, в соответствии с

administration – прием лекарства, назначение

be in charge of – быть ответственным за что-либо

cardiac medicines – сердечные средства

cause – быть причиной, вызывать

compatibility - совместимость

cups - банки

disinfectant – дезинфицирующие средства

dispensing pharmacist - рецептар

dose – доза, прием

draught – доза жидкого лекарства

dropper - пипетка

drugs for cough – лекарства от кашля

drugs for headache – лекарства от головной боли

hot-water bottle - грелка

immediately – немедленно, тотчас же

intramuscular - внутримышечный

label - этикетка

laxative – слабительное средства

manufacture – производство, изготовление

mustard plaster - горчичник

poison – яд, отрава

prescription – рецепт, прописанное лекарство

ointment - мазь

receive – получать

sedative – успокаивающее средство

single dose – разовая доза

storing - хранение

supply – снабжать, поставлять

tonic – тонизирующее средство

tube - тюбик

unfavorable – неблагоприятный, неприятный

Introductory text At the Chemist’s

Definition. On receiving a prescription from a doctor we need medicines which are usually ordered or bought at the chemist’s. Chemists’ shops are specialized shops where medicines are sold. They are usually situated on the ground floor. Chemist’s has a hall for visitors, two departments for selling drugs, and working room.

Departments. There are two departments in a large chemist’s: the chemist’s department and the prescription department. At the chemist’s department one can have the medicine immediately, other drugs have to be ordered at the prescription department. At the prescription department medicines are sold and made according to prescription. At the chemist department one may buy medicines without prescriptions.

The working rooms of a chemist’s include for washing, drying and sterilization of glassware, an analytical laboratory, a room for storing medicines, a room for dispensing them and some others.

Storing and labels. At the chemist’s all drugs are kept in drug cabinets, on the open shelves and in the refrigerator. Every small bottle, a tube or a box of medicine has a label on it. There are labels of four colors. White labels indicate drugs for internal use, yellow ones indicate drugs for external use and blue ones indicate drugs injections. Drugs used for treatment of eye diseases have labels of a pink color.

The dose to be taken and directions for administration are also indicated on a label. Indicating the dose and the name of any medicine is necessary for chemist, nurses, doctors and patients themselves. It prevents confusing different remedies because some of them are poisonous. Their overdosage may cause unfavorable reactions. Poisonous drugs are kept in the drug cabinet with the letter A. Strong effective drugs are kept in the drug cabinet having the letter B. One must be careful using medicine.

At a chemist’s one can buy different drugs for intramuscular and intravenous injections, for oral administration and for external use. One can also buy tubes of ointments, sedatives, tonics, sleeping, draughts, laxatives, medicine droppers, mustard plasters, hot-water bottles and many other things.

At the chemist department medicines are kept according to the therapeutic effect: drugs for cough, cardiac medicines, drugs for headache. Disinfectants, herbs and things for medical care such as hot-water bottles, medicine droppers, cups, thermometers are kept separately.

The personnel of an average chemist’s consists of a manager of the chemist’s, a dispensing pharmacist who takes prescriptions and delivers drugs, a chemist controlling the prescriptions, that is physical, physicochemical and pharmacological compatibility of the ingredients of the compound prescribed by the physician. The personnel include also a chemist-analyst who controls effectiveness of the drug prepared at the chemist’s as well as that of manufactured drugs. There is also a pharmacist who is in charge of the supply of necessary medicines.

Exercise 1. Comprehension questions.

1. On what floor are chemist’s shops usually situated?

2. How many departments are there at every chemist’s shop?

3. What things can you buy at the chemist department?

4. What is sold at the prescription department?

5. Where are different drugs kept at the chemist’s?

6. What is the colour of labels on bottles with drugs for external use?

7. What can you say about the personnel of the chemist’s?

8. What does the manager of a chemist’s do?

9. What does a dispensing pharmacist do?

10. What does a controller do?

11. What does a chemist-analyst do?