HEALTH

1. What are your symptoms? I've got a cold / a cough / a sore throat / a temperature / a stomach ache / chest pains / earache / a pain in my side / a rash on my chest / spots / a bruise on my leg / a black eye / a lump on my arm / indigestion / diarrhoea / painful joints / blisters / sunburn.

I feel sick / dizzy / breathless / shivery / faint / particularly bad at night.

I am depressed / constipated / tired all the time.

I've lost my appetite / voice; I can't sleep, my nose itches and my leg hurts.

2. What do doctors do? They take your temperature, listen to your chest, look in your ears, examine you, take your blood pressure, ask you some questions and weigh and measure you before sending you to the hospital for further tests.

3 What's the diagnosis?

You've got flu .

Diseases; chickenpox / mumps / pneumonia / rheumatism / an ulcer / a virus / a bug / mumps / measles / scabies/drug addiction /inflammation /mental retardation / a cold in the head/ runny nose .- I’ve got a runny nose.

You've broken your wrist and sprained / dislocated your ankle. You're pregnant / a hypochondriac. He died of lung cancer / a heart attack / a brain haemorrhage / AIDS.

4 What does the doctor prescribe?

Medicine: drops, tincture, pills, powders

Take one three times a day after meals. Take a teaspoonful last thing at night.

Rub a little on before going to bed each nigh We'll get the nurse to put a bandage on.

You'll need to have some injections before you go. I'll ask the surgeon when he can fit you in for an operation.

You'll have to have your leg put in plaster. I think you should have total bed rest for a week.

5 What might the doctor ask you? Do you have health insurance? Have you ever had any operations? Are you taking any medication? Are you allergic to anything?

6 Match the diseases with their symptoms: flu pneumonia rheumatism chickenpox mumps an ulcer

A)swollen glands in front of ear, earache or pain on eating, B)burning pain in abdomen, pain or nausea after eating, C)rash starting on body, slightly raised temperature, D) dry cough, high fever, chest pain, rapid breathing, E) headache, aching muscles, fever, cough, sneezing, F)swollen, painful joints, stiffness, limited movement

7 Which do you think the doctor said to each of the following patients?

Liz with a bad cough. Sam who needs his appendix out.

Rose suffering from exhaustion. Alf who's sprained his wrist.

Anne with bad sunburn. Jo who's broken her leg.

John who's off to the Tropics. Paul with flu.

Useful expressions: to have a nervous breakdown, to keep to a diet, to give (to get) an injection, to undergo a treatment, to recover from, to have one’s tooth filled ( pulled out), to feel smb’s pulse, to go to a chemist’ (a drugstore), to follow the doctor’s advice, to examine a patient, to consult a doctor, to be X-rayed, to have one’s chest X-rayed, to look seedy, to be operated on for ulcer

8 Reading . On Monday John came home in the evening, looking pale and tired. He told Mother that he felt terrible all day. First of all he had had a headache since about ten o'clock in the morning. He had tried taking a couple of aspirins but they had not had any effect. He had also had cough for several days and now his chest felt painful. He couldn't remember feeling as bad as this. He didn't want to do anything — all he wanted to do was to go to bed, and this he did. Mother felt his forehead — it felt hot as if he had got a temperature. She thought he had caught 'flu, so she went into the kitchen and made him a warm drink. When it was ready, she brought it in to him but John was asleep. She put an extra blanket on the bed. John's breathing was heavy and his face was flushed. She couldn't remember that she had ever seen him looking as ill as this. She remembered that he had forgotten to take his overcoat with him that morning although the weather had been cold and windy. And he had had a cold ever since New Year's Eve.

The next morning John was no better. Mother rang up the doctor and asked him to call at the flat. At a quarter past twelve there was a ring at the doorbell. It was Dr Dixon, the local G.P. The first thing the doctor did was to stick his thermometer under John's tongue. When he took it out, he exclaimed, "You've got quite a temperature there. Now let's examine your chest." Dr Dixon produced his stethoscope from his bag and started listening to John's breathing. Finally he said, "I'm afraid you might be suffering from pneumonia. You'd better go into hospital."