READING

AT THE DOCTOR'S

If one catches cold, has a splitting head­ache, a stuffy nose, cough, is running a high temperature, he must go to the hospital. First he comes to the reception office. The receptionist on duty asks his name, address, age and occu­pation to register a new patient, and then refers to specialists for examination. Some doctors auscultate the patient's heart and lungs, some examine his kidneys, liver, stomach, eyes and hearing. Others do a blood test, take the pa­tient's blood pressure and X-ray him.

A district doctor sees his patients in a con­sulting room. A nurse gives a thermometer to take the temperature. One must keep it under his arm. Last time my temperature was 37.9°C. The doctor asked what my trouble was. 1 le offered to sit down in a chair and strip to the waist. He felt my pulse. It was faint and accelerated. I felt dizzy and was damp with sweat. Then I lay down on the examination couch and the doctor palpated my abdomen. He asked me from what diseases I suffered in my childhood. That was scarlet fever. The doctor filled in my card and diagnosed the flu. Then he wrote out a prescription for some medicines: pills, a powder, drops, and a mixture. He also advised me to take a hot foot bath, put a hot-water bottle onto my feet, have hot tea with raspberry jam. That would keep my fever down.

X-ray and blood test findings were normal. I had the prescription prepared at the chemist's. I followed the prescribed treatment regimen to avoid complication! Every day I took a tablespoonful of mixture 3 times a day and some pills. In two days I was better and in a week I recovered from my illness. I began to take care of myself. Now I go in for sports because it makes me strong, healthy and cheerful. Every day I do my morning exercises and have a cold rubdown to prevent myself from catching cold. There is a good proverb: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away". That's why I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables.

In case of a sudden and severe illness or an accident one calls the first aid sta­tion. There doctors are on duty day and night. Ambulances are equipped with ev­erything necessary to give first aid. Patients are transported to hospital. There they are taken to the reception office first. After questioning and examination the doctor fills in the patient's case history. Then a patient is given special clothes and is put into a ward for treatment. There are different departments in the hospital. They are: a surgical department, therapy and the department of infectious diseases. The doctors make their daily round there: they examine patients and prescribe different medicines and treatments. When a patient is completely cured, he is discharged from the hospital.

Date: 2014-12-21; view: 1365