Text b. A visit to the doctor

— Well, what's the matter with you, Mr. Walker?

— You'd better ask me what is not the matter with me, doctor. I seem to be suffering from all the illnesses imaginable: insomnia, headaches, backache, indigestion, constipation and pains in the stomach. To make things still worse, I've caught a cold, I've got a sore throat and I'm constantly sneezing and coughing. To crown it all, I had an accident the other day, hurt my right shoulder, leg and knee, and nearly broke my neck. If I take a long walk, I get short of breath. In fact, I feel more dead than alive.

— I'm sorry to hear that. Anyhow, I hope things aren't as bad as you imagine. Let me examine you. Your heart, chest and lungs seem to be all right. Now open your mouth and show me your tongue. Now breathe in deeply, through the nose... There doesn't seem to be anything radically wrong with you, but it's quite clear that you're run down, and if you don't take care of yourself, you may have a nervous breakdown and have to go to hospital. I advise you, first of all, to stop worrying. Take a long rest, have regular meals, keep to a diet of salads and fruit, and very little meat Keep off alcohol. If possible, give up smoking, at least for a time. Have this tonic made up and take two tablespoonfuls three times a day before meals. If you do this, I can promise you full recovery within two or three months.

— And if I don't, doctor?

— Then you'd better make your will, if you haven't yet done so.

— I see. Well, thank you, doctor. 1 shall have to think it over and decide which is the lesser evil: to follow your advice or prepare for a better world.

TEXT C. AT THE DENTISTS

Nell: Hello, is that you Bert? Nell here. I'm so glad I've found you in.

Bert: Hello, Nell. How's things?

N.: Fine. Listen, Bert. I'm bursting with news. Just imagine: yesterday I had the first real patient of my own.

В.: You don't say! Who was it?

N.: A nice old dear with a lot of teeth to be pulled out. It's such wonderful practice for me!

В.: Are you quite sure that some of his teeth couldn't be filled?

N.: None of them! I sent him to have his teeth X-rayed, so it's all right.

В.: How did you manage to get such a marvellous patient, I wonder?

N.: He came with a bad toothache. It had been bothering him for a day or two already.

В.: Were there no other dentists in the surgery?

N.: No, I was the only one. It was Sunday.

В.: Poor old thing! I hope you didn't try to pull out all his teeth at once, did you?

N.: Don't be silly. I just chose the easiest one to begin with.

В.: I see... And how did you get along?

N.: Wonderfully. I tested his blood pressure and gave him a couple of injections, though he said that my smile worked better than any injection.

В.: Oh, he did, did he? And he didn't have heart attack after the tooth was taken out? It would have been natural for an old man.

N.: No, he just felt a bit sick and giddy. I gave him с tonic and told him to stay in bed for a while and take his temperature.

В.: Perhaps I'd better drop in and check his heart? I'm on sick leave now and can do it at any time.

N.: You needn't. I'll ring him up and in case he's running a high temperature I'll let you know. But I do hope he won't. The day after tomorrow he's coming again,

В.: Are you sure he's not going to make an appointment with some other dentist?

N.: I don't think he will. When he was leaving he said he looked forward to having all his teeth pulled out and he would keep them all as souvenirs to remember me by.

В.: Well, I wish you good luck. Hope to hear from you soon. Bye for now, Nell.

N.: Good-bye, Bert. I'll let you know how things are going on.

Memory Work
For every evil under the sun.
There is a remedy, or there is none.
If there be one, try to find it.
If there be none, never mind it.

ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY (П)

Words

appendicitis n insomnia n

attack (of smth.) n prescription n

case (of a disease) n recover (from a disease) υ

cholera n remedy n

complication n scarlet fever n

cough υ, n sneeze о

cure of υ sore (throat, eye, finger, etc.) adj

cure for n surgery n

die of υ symptom n

diphthertia n tonic n

disease n treat υ (smb. for a disease)

indigestion n treatment (for smth.) n

injection n typhoid fever n

Word Combinations

to feel smb.'s (one's) pulse to write out a prescription (for pills, etc.)

to go to a chemist's (drugstore) to follow the doctor's directions

to catch (a) cold to have an accident

to be short of breath to examine a patient (smb.'s throat etc.)

to breathe in deeply to consult (see) a doctor

to have a nervous breakdown to keep to a diet (of ...); to be on (go on), follow a diet

to have a prescription (medicine, mixture, tonic, etc.) made up

to take medicine (a spoonful of, etc.)

to be wrong with (one's heart, lungs, etc.); to have smth. wrong with

to be taken ill (to fall ill) with to be laid up with

to feel sick (and giddy) to fill smb.'s tooth

to have one's tooth filled, to have a filling

to pull (take) out a tooth = to have an extraction

to have one's tooth pulled out (taken out), extracted

to be (have one's teeth, chest, heart, etc.) X-rayed

to test smb.'s blood to have one's blood tested

to test smb.'s blood pressure to have one's blood pressure tested

to have, get (give) an injection (a needle)

to have a heart attack

to check smb.'s heart, lungs, etc.; to sound smb.'s heart, lungs, etc.

to be on sick leave; to get sick leave

to make an appointment with a doctor

Examples

He was taken to hospital and operated on (underwent an operation) for appendicitis.

After I've had some injections of tonic I feel quite cured of all my ailments.

The child is ill (laid up) with chicken pox (ветрянка). He'll soon recover if no complications set in.

Smallpox (оспа) is a catching (заразная) disease marked by fever and small red spots on the body and often leaves permanent marks.

I've been on sick leave for a fortnight already, but I don't feel any better so far.

The doctor diagnosed the illness as tuberculosis (t. b.).

A doctor who performs (carries out) operations is called a surgeon. Nowadays operations may be performed almost on any part of the body.

When people have pain in their teeth they go to a dentist to have the holes in their teeth filled (stopped). When necessary they may have their teeth taken (pulled) out.

People who are treated in health centres (policlinics) are called out-patients, those who stay in hospital are called inpatients.

Something is wrong with my legs: all my joints ache and when I bend my knee it hurts me.

The old man's sight is getting dim (слабеет), his eyes are sore, swollen and itching.

N o t e: Don't say "He wrote me a prescription out"; but "He wrote out a prescription for me".

EXERCISES