4. FUNCTIONS OF THE BODY (PROFESSIONAL ENGLISH IN USE MEDICINE)

PROFESSIONAL ENGLISH IN USE MEDICINE

4. FUNCTIONS OF THE BODY

A	Eating You’re hungry. You’re in a restaurant and the waiter brings your food You smell it. It stimulates your appetite – you want to eat. Your mouth waters, filling with saliva You take a bite of the food. It tastes good and you chew it and swallow it. You eat more, but then suddenly you taste something unpleasant. You feel nauseous. You rush to the toilet, and get there just in time before vomiting all the food you’ve eaten. Something has disagreed with you
B	The Five Senses In addition to smell and taste, the senses include sight (or vision), hearing, and touch (also called sensation or feeling). To ask about the senses, doctors use the questions. What is your sight hearing sense of smell sense of taste like? Is your normal? To ask about the sense of touch, doctors talk about numbness (loss of sensation): Have you noticed any numbness (in your fingers or toes)?
C	Other Functions Function Verb Noun speaking speak speech walking walk gait breathing respiration inhale/breathe in/take a breath in exhale/breathe out breath urination micturition urinate micturate pass urine pass water urine defecation defecate pass faeces/pass stools faeces stools menstruation menstruate have period (menstrual) period (monthly) period When taking a history, doctors can ask: Do you have any trouble difficulty problems walking? breathing? passing urine? with your speech? pain when you breathe in?   When auscultating patient’s lungs, the doctor tells the patient Take a deep breath in, hold your breath, then breathe out completely.
D	Less Common Functions There are some things we do less often. When we are hot, we sweat. When we are nervous, we shake. When we are sad, we cry. Doctors can ask: Do you sweat shake more than usual?

EXERCISES

 4.1. Match the symptoms (1-5) to the questions (a-e), using your medical knowledge.

1	dysuria	a	What is your breathing like?
2	dysphagia	b	Do you have any pain when you pass water?
3	diplopia	c	Do you have any difficulty with your speech?
4	dysphasia	d	Do you have any trouble swallowing?
5	dyspnoea	e	Is your vision normal?

4.2. Patients are describing symptoms of the conditions shown in brackets. Complete the sentences. Look at C and D opposite to help you.

1	I’ve got pain and __________ in both feet. (peripheral neuropathy)
2	I’m having difficulty __________ solid food. (oesophageal stricture)
3	I have a lot of problems __________. (prostatic hypertrophy)
4	I’ve been __________ more than usual, even when it’s not hot. (hyperthyroidism)
5	I’ve noticed that my hands __________ when I’m not using them. (Parkinsonism)
6	I have trouble __________ when I climb the stairs. (left heart failure)

4.3. Complete the sentences. Look at A, B, C, and D opposite to help you.

1	When I eat solid food. I have to __________ (bite/chew) it for a long time before I can __________ (swallow/eat) it.
2	Do you have any pain when you __________ (pass/have) stools?
3	I have no __________ (taste/appetite) and I’ve lost five kilos in the last few weeks.
4	When did you last __________ (have/pass) a period?
5	The garden is full of flowers, but my __________ (sense/sensation) of smell has disappeared and I can’t enjoy the perfume.
6	Take a deep __________ (breathe/breath) in.

Over to you

You think a patient may have diabetes. Think of five questions you can ask the patient to investigate further. Try to use the question types presented in this unit.

ANSWER KEY