UNIT 1. Some common medical or health related words
English is a very precise language with words to designate actions or states for which we don’t have specific words in Spanish. It also has lots of synonyms. In English there are some words related to general medical treatments and common symptoms of illness that are very close in their meanings, but they are not exactly synonyms either.
We are going to see some of them:
1. Cure/ heal/ care/ treat (verbs).
-Cure (verb and noun): to treat an illness. Eg. “She was cured from breast cancer.”A particular way of making someone well or stopping an illness.
-Heal : to become or make something healthy again. It normally refers to wounds, injuries, etc. Eg. The cut finally healed up but it left an ugly scar.
-Care: very general word that means all the elements or actions provided to make or keep someone or something healthy. Eg. medical care.
-Treat: general word that means giving medical care to a person or a condition. Eg. She was treated from sunstroke.
EXERCISE:
1. He was ---------------------from his disease but all was in vain, he died very soon.
2. I’ve been putting disinfectant to this wound but it doesn’t seem to-----------------
3. Not much research is done for the discovery of new ------------------- for malaria.
4. She contracted a severe infection and had to go into the intensive---------------unit.
2. Lesion/wound/injury/injure/hurt/harm/graze/scratch/cut/gash/slash/laceration/ puncture/pierce/stab/tear/strain.
- Lesion (formal): injury.
- Wound (v.-n.) – injury (noun)- injure (verb): they are very similar in meaning. They are used to refer to damage to the body. Wound normally implies that the person has been deliberately injured. Eg. He was wounded during the war. When talking about accidents, injure is more frequently used. It is also used to refer to emotional or mental harms. Eg. She injured her shoulder while playing tennis.
- Hurt (verb and noun): it may be used both to refer to a serious injure, and also to a minor pain. Egs. They were badly hurt in an accident. I hurt my back lifting that box.
- Harm (v.-n.): (very general word) Physical, mental or moral injury. Eg. Her rude manners made him a lot of harm.
- Graze (v.-n.): a slight injury on the skin. Eg. I fell and grazed my knee.
- Scratch (v.-n.): a slight injury made by scratching. Eg. She escaped without a scratch.
- Cut (v.-n.): wound or injury made with a knife, scissors, etc.
- Gash (v.-n.): a long deep cut or wound. Eg. I gashed my arm on a piece of broken glass.
- Slash (v. –n.): a superficial cut with a sharp instrument such as razor or a scalpel, or a violent cutting movement with a knife. Eg. She tried to killed herself by slashing her wrists.
- Lacerate-laceration: to injure flesh by tearing. Eg. His hands were lacerated by the stones after climbing the mountain.
- Puncture (v.-n.): to make a small hole for example in an injection. Eg. She was taken to hospital with two broken ribs and a punctured lung.
- To get/have/give a shot: to put an injection.
- Pierce (v.): To make a hole with something sharp. Eg. The arrow pierced her shoulder.
- Stab (v.-n.): to put a knife or something sharp into somebody or something. Eg. He received a stab in the chest, he has stabbing wounds.
- Tear (v.-n.): to injure a muscle, tendon, etc. by stretching it too much. Eg. A torn ligament.
- Strain (v.): to injure any part of the body by making too much effort. Eg. Strained muscle/ strained eyes (by reading in bad light)/ strained voice (by speaking too loud).
EXERCISE.
1. I----------------- my arms by lifting weights for two hours without a previous warm-up.
2. After watering the rose bushes, I realised I had----------------------my hands.
3. The knife fell from my hands and it caused a deep---------------------in my foot.
4. I got my ears----------------------------to carry more earrings.
5. He was ------------------------in the abdomen after someone--------------------him.
6. You can’t imagine the-------------------------I feel when he speaks with such arrogance.
7. Whenever the child has to get a------------------------for her vaccinations, she spends the whole day crying.
8. The footballer is absent for some severe----------------------in his right knee.
9. He----------------------his face while shaving.
3. Illness/disease/ailment/condition/ sickness/ malady/malaise/infirmity/.
- Illness: (general word) the state of being ill in body or mind. Eg. Mental illness.
- Disease: a specific illness with a name. Eg. Measles is an illness that usually affects children.
- Ailment: a very common disease that is not normally serious. Eg. Common winter ailments such as colds, coughs and sore throats can be treated with home remedies.
- Condition: a permanent health problem which affects a particular part of the body. Eg. She suffers from a heart condition.
- Sickness: 1.illness. Eg. Many workers are absent because of sickness. 2. disease. Eg. Sleeping sickness; altitude sickness. 3.the feeling of vomiting. Eg. She’s pregnant and now she is suffering from morning sickness.
- Infirmity (infirm): weakness because of illness or old age. Eg. Deafness and failing eyesight are among the infirmities of old age.
- Malady (quite formal): a disease, also used in metaphoric senses. Eg. Our societies are afflicted by a lot of maladies such as violent crimes.
- Malaise (formal): a general feeling of illness, but not a clear one. Eg. Due to the menstruation she is feeling a general malaise.
EXERCISE.
1. Due to her asthmatic --------------------- she must avoid smoking.
2. After your long convalescence, you’ll probably feel----------------------
3. The ‘Asiatic syndrome’ is a---------------------- transmitted from poultry to human beings.
4. The fascination with body perfection is the new----------------- of our times.
5. Our new food habits in Western societies are the cause for many dietary------------
6. I was feeling too unwell this morning, a-------------------- that I thought could be related to my lack of sleep lately.
7. Sore throat is an--------------------------affecting many teachers.
4. To vomit/to be sick/to spew/to throw up /to puke/to barf
The difference among these words is just in their degree of formality. Vomit is the more formal; to be sick is the most frequently used; to puke, to spew and to throw up are the more familiar ones; to barf is the vulgar or slang word used in the United States.
EXERCISE.
1. Something was wrong with the dinner, I spent the night------------------------
2. Buff! I drank too much yesterday, I’ve been feeling like---------------------all day.
3. The patient suffers from gastroenteritis, her symptoms are--------------------, diarrhoea and abdominal pains.
5. To be unwell/ill/indisposed/sick/ailing.
- Unwell: (very general) not too well.
- Ill: suffering from a disease or an illness.
- Indisposed (indisposition): (formal) slightly ill.
- Sick: Adjective 1. Ill or not well. 2. Wanting to vomit, having a condition where food is brought up from the stomach into the mouth.
- Ailing: ill and not improving.
EXERCISE.
1. I had salmonellas last summer, I felt really----------------- with fever and a terrible stomach ache.
2. My wife has been -------------------- for a long time after her operation.
3. That syrup for the cough tastes awful, it makes me---------------!
4. The concert has been cancelled since the singer is -----------------------
5. I don’t know what happens with me, I’m feeling----------------- these days.
6. Pain/hurt/sore/ache/itch /tingle/ prickle
- Pain: (general word) mental or physical suffering or discomfort in any part of the body because of an illness or an injury. Eg. The separation of their parents caused a great pain to their children. My back gives me a lot of pain.
- Hurt: mental pain or suffering. Eg. His death caused me a great hurt.
- Sore (adj.-n.): a part of the body hurting when touched or used. Eg. to have a sore finger/ a sore throat. She’s feeling a bit sore after the operation.
- Ache (v.-n.): a continuous dull pain. Eg. backache, toothache, tummy-ache. My belly aches.
- Itch (v.-n.): an uncomfortable feeling on the skin that causes a desire to scratch. Eg. These mosquitos’ bites itch terrible.
- Tingle (v.-n.): general stinging feeling in the limbs when circulation is made difficult. Eg. I had a tingling feeling in my arm after I slept with my head on it.
- Prickle (v.-n): (similar to itch) Eg. Paraesthesia causes terrible prickling.
EXERCISE.
1. I-------------------my finger yesterday opening a can, it is a bit-------------- today.
2. Give me an aspirin!! My head has been------------------- all day long.
3. Your indifference------------------- me very deeply.
4. Whenever I sat with my legs crossed afterwards I feel a ------------------in them
5. I think I haven’t rinsed my hair well, my scalp is----------------------- a lot.
6. I was in terrible--------------------- after the accident.
7. Surgery/operation/(operating)theatre/consulting room
- Surgery: 1. Room or building where the doctor examines patients. 2. Surgery hours time when the doctor is available to see patients. 3. Treatment of injuries or diseases that involves cutting or removing parts of the body (cosmetic surgery, plastic surgery, open-heart surgery). E.g. I underwent cosmetic surgery and got my legs more stylised with a liposuction.
- Operation: the cutting open of part of a person’s body, in order to remove or repair a diseased or injured part. E.g. She saved her life thanks to a liver transplant operation.
- (Operating) Theatre: place where operations are performed. E.g. The theatre list of patients is always very long in every hospital.
- Consulting room= Surgery 1.
EXERCISE.
1. The dentist receives his patients in his dental-------------------
2. An------------------------ can be carried out for the excision of a tumour.
3. The---------------------- has all sorts of reanimating equipment.
8. To have/get/run temperature: abnormal high temperature of the body. E.g. He was very sick and was running a temperature.
- to have fever: 1. an abnormal high temperature caused by an illness. 2. A specified disease in which fevers occurs. Eg. Hay fever/typhoid fever/scarlet fever/ rheumatic fever.
EXERCISE.
1. The nurse takes my------------------- twice a day.
2. --------------------- is treated with antihistamines.
9. Handicap/disability/invalidity/impaired/special needs
- Handicap (a handicapped person): a serious, usually permanent physical or mental condition that affect some part of the body or ability to see, hear, etc. Eg. deafness can be a terrible handicap.
- Disability (a disabled person): it normally refers to a permanent condition or injury that makes the person difficult to move easily. It may exist from birth or be caused by an accident or an illness. Eg. A progressively disabling disease.
*Because of the negative connotations acquired by “handicapped”, nowadays people prefer to use “the disabled people” when referring to people having some kind of mental or physical limitation.
- Invalidity (invalid): state in which a person feels weak because of bad health or an injury. Eg. an invalid chair, an invalidity pension.
- Impaired: it is used when someone’s vision, audition or speaking abilities has been damaged but not completely destroyed. Eg. After the accident he is visually impaired and needs special glasses.
- Special needs: euphemistic term.
EXERCISE.
1. There’s an aquarium in California where dolphins help into the recuperation of -------------------- swimmers.
2. To have any physical limitation always represent a--------------------in our cities.
3. Too much alcohol makes drivers---------------------to control their cars properly.
4. He was offered an--------------------------- after the accident to cover his expenses.
10. To describe types of pains we have several adjectives: throbbing pain/pounding pain/ stingy pain/pangs/twinges/ cramps/stiffness/migraine.
- Throbbing pain= pounding pain: pain which continues in repeated short attacks.
- Stingy pain: referring to a sharp pain.
- Pangs=twinges: a sudden sharp feeling of pain. Eg. Pangs of hunger. Eg. Twinges of rheumatism.
- Cramps: a painful involuntary spasm in the muscles where the muscle may stay contracted for some time. Eg. She started getting stomach cramps this morning.
- Stiffness: pain in the muscles and the joints because of too much exercise or illness. Eg. I was running for two hours yesterday and I’m feeling my legs stiff.
- Migraine: a sharp severe recurrent headache often associated with vomiting and visual disturbance. Eg. Her migraine attacks seems to be worse in the summer.
EXERCISE.
1. Aught! I hardly can move my arms, they are so-------------------, I was lifting heavy boxes all day yesterday
2. I’ve been absent from work for several days due to my severe-----------------
3. Premenstrual-------------------------- are suffered very frequently by women.
4. He felt a sudden---------------------------in his damage hamstring.
5. Stop making that noise with the hammer, my head is ------------------------
11. Inflammation/protuberance/tumescence/swelling/lump/bump/bulge/blister/chilblain/corn/callus
- Inflammation/protuberance/tumescence/oedema: most formal words.
- Swelling/lump: most common terms.
- Bump/bulge: a swelling on the body, especially one caused by a blow. Eg. She had a bump on her head after falling off the horse.
- Blister: a swelling under the skin like a bubble filled with liquid caused by rubbing, a burning, etc. Eg. I had blisters on my heels due to my tight shoes.
- Chilblain: a painful red swelling on the hands or feet caused by cold or bad circulation. Eg. I got chilblains on my feet during my stay in Finland.
- Corn: a painful area of hardened skin, normally on the feet, especially on toes. Eg. Years of wearing uncomfortable shoes normally result in having corns on your feet.
- Callus: an area of hardened skin caused by rubbing. Eg. calluses on one’s palms.
EXERCISE.
1. I hit my head against the wall when I got up this morning, now I have a painful------------------------
2. I wear these boots for the first time and I’m afraid they can cause me--------------
3. The girl was very concerned about the hard--------------------on her armpit.
4. The doctors explored------------------------------and concluded that an analysis of the affected tissue had to be effected.
5. She’s a hard working woman, look at the---------------------on her palms
6. The-----------------on my feet were so painful that I had to start using special shoes.
12. Medicine/medication/remedy/cure/treatment/medicament/drug/prescription/ healing (the process of curing something).
- Medicine/medication/remedy/cure/treatment: more general words. Egs. alternative medicine; home remedies; cure for cancer; antiviral treatment.
- Medicament=medicine/drug: more specific words for the designation of a particular curative substance. Drug also means dope: stupefacient substance.
- Prescription: a written instruction, issued by a doctor, which enables one to buy and use a medicine. Eg. This drug is only available in prescription.
- Healing: the process of curing something. Eg. It took three weeks until the healing was completed/the wound healed up (=cicatrised) completely.
EXERCISE.
1. The doctor gave me a------------------------------- for antibiotics.
2. A totally effective-------------------------- for the HIV hasn’t been found yet.
3. She specialised in tropical-------------------------since she always wanted to work in a central African country.
5. Abusing----------------------- reduces their curative effects since micro organisms get resistant.
13. Myocardial infarction/ heart attack/stroke/palpitations
- Myocardial infarction: very formal and technical. Eg. The incidence of myocardial infarction augments considerably among those who smoke.
- Heart attack: the most common. Eg. He suffered a heart attack in the middle of the class.
- Stroke: a sudden serious illness in the brain that can cause loss of the power to move, speak or to speak clearly. Eg. The stroke left him partially paralysed.
- Palpitations: Eg. Whenever I drink too much coffee, I get palpitations.
EXERCISE
1. I got so scared that I suffered from--------------------- until I calmed down.
2. The percentage of people suffering------------------------ is substantially higher among males
3. Try to control your cholesterol levels to prevent a------------------------
4. After the--------------------------- she had serious problems to move her right arm.
14. Hit/strike/beat/blow/slap/ (v.-n.)
- Hit: you can hit someone or something with your hand or an object. Eg. Furious as she was, she hit the table with a book.
- Strike: stronger than a hit, and normally used in administrative language. Eg. He admitted having stroked the man with an iron bar.
- Beat: means to hit repeatedly and deliberately. Eg. He was cruelly beaten by his attacker.
- Blow=punch: strong hit given with one’s closed hand. Eg. The blow left him knocked-out.
- Slap: hit given with the palm of the hand. Eg. She got so angry that slapped him on the face.
EXERCISE
1. Aught! What a---------------------- on the nose the boxer has given to his rival!
2. It is becoming less common for parents to------------------------their children whenever they behave badly.
3. Unfortunately, as I threw the pencil to my friend I ----------------------- the teacher on the back of her head.
4. The stone-------------------------against his forefront and he fell unconscious.
15. Bite/sting/nip/snap
- Bite: many different animals can bite: mammals, insects and reptiles. Eg. I was bitten all over by mosquitoes when I was fishing in the river.
- Sting: more specific word for insects.
- Nip=snap: to squeeze something, normally with the fingers or the teeth, causing a slight pain. Eg. A crab nipped my foot on the beach.
EXERCISE
1. A bee ---------------------me in my arm and I had an allergic reaction.
2. My dog loves playing, whenever he wants to play he-------------------at my feet.
3. Could you believe it! the pig---------------------------my hand as I was given it food.
16. Scar/scab/bruise/contusion/ pustule
- Scar: a mark left on the skin by a wound, burn etc. after it has healed. Eg. Will the cut leave a scar?
- Scab: a hard dry covering that forms over a wound as it heals. Eg. The child fell off the bike, he grazed his knees, and now he has scabs.
- Bruise (v.-n.): an injury caused by a blow to the body, making a dark mark on the skin but not breaking it.
* In English you don’t say “ojo morado”, but black eye.
- Contusion: very similar to bruise.
- Pustule: a small spot on the skin generally containing pus.
EXERCISE.
1. What’s that in your abdomen? It’s the----------------------left after my operation of appendicitis.
2. He was confined to bed for several months what caused him------------------- on his limbs.
3. After the fight, my child was covered with-----------------------------
4. He has been crawling on the ground, look at the-------------------on his elbows.
17. Rash/skin eruption/hives/outbreak/spot/verruca/pruritus/burn/abrasion/ulcer /chafe/.
- Rash/skin eruption/hives: very similar terms. An area of red spots that appears on the skin as a result of being ill or having a bad reaction to something that you have eaten or touched. Eg. He may break in a rash when he eats these nuts. Eg. Eruptions of adolescent acne.
- Outbreak: the sudden spread of a disease. Eg. An outbreak of malaria.
- Spot: a pimple, a small lump or mark in the skin. Eg. Never squeeze blackheads, spots or pimples.
- Verruca: a small hard infectious growth on the skin.
- Pruritus: formal term that means an intense itching.
- Burn (v.-n.): injured by fire or by something abrasive. Eg. She suffered appalling burns on her back as a result of a long exposure to the sun rays.
- Abrasion: an area of the skin that has been scraped. Eg. He had severe abrasions to his right cheek after falling to the ground.
- Ulcer: a sore area on the outside or the inside of your body which is very painful and may bleed or produce an unpleasant poisonous substance.
- Chafe (v.): when your skin is chafed by something, it means it is sore as a result of something rubbing against it. Eg. His writs began to chafe against the handcuffs binding them.
EXERCISE.
1. As a result of his heavy drinking he developed a stomach---------------
2. I’m afraid I’m allergic to dog’s hair, whenever I touch one I got a------------------on my skin.
3. Don’t scratch that---------------or it’ll get worse.
4. I was sunbathing without any solar protection, my arms are all----------------now.
5. When he fell off the horse, his right foot got stock and the animal dragged him several meters, his face and hands are covered with------------------------
6. We’ve been digging the orchard all day long, we have our hands all----------------
18. skin/tissue/muscle/ flesh/cartilage/fat
- Skin: more standard word for both epidermis and dermis.
- Tissue: the material made up of cells of which the parts of the body are formed.
- Muscle: an organ in the body which contracts to make part of the body move. Eg. If you do a lot of exercise you develop strong muscles.
- Flesh: the soft substance between the skin and the bones consisting of muscle and fat.
- Cartilage: thick connective tissue which lines and cushions the joints.
- Fat: a white oily substance in the body which stores energy and protects the body against cold.
EXERCISE.
1. You should cut down on ------------------------------and carbohydrates.
2. Most of the body is made up of soft --------------------.
3. The heart is made up of-----------------------
4. Her----------------------disease resulted in all her body covered by red patches.
19. Obese/overweight/ fat/chubby/plump/tubby/stout/flabby/podgy.
- Obese=overweight: the most neutral and formal terms to describe people who are so fat that they are unhealthy.
- Fat: the most usual and direct word although it can be also used in a pejorative way or as an insult.
- Large: euphemistic term, synonymous for fat.
- Chubby: is used to describe children or a particular part of the body.
- Plump: slightly fat but in an attractive way.
- Tubby: usually used in a friendly way to describe people who are short and round.
- Stout: often used to describe older people who have a round and heavy appearance.
- Flabby: describes flesh that is fat and loose.
- Podgy: especially used to refer to hands and fingers that are fat.
EXERCISE.
1. Does this dress make me look-------------------------?
2. The baby’s -----------------cheeks and legs make him look like a little doll.
3. He was a short--------------------------man with a bald head.
4. She’s about 19 kilos---------------------------------
5. This exercise is good for-------------------------thighs and bottoms.
6. She’s a------------------------pretty woman.
7. He is not really fat, just a bit-----------------------------
20. Break/ fracture/sprain
-Fracture (v.-n.): technical word.
-Break (v.-n.): more general standard word. Eg. She broke all her bones when she fell down the stairs.
-Sprain (v.-n.): to twist or injure your joints such as your ankles or wrists. Eg. He fell and sprained his ankle.
EXERCISE.
1. He landed awkwardly after the high jump and-----------------his ankle. He’s lucky it’s not broken.
2. The X-ray showed that I had-----------------------several ribs in the accident.
3. I slipped on the ice and I was about to-----------------------my neck.
21. Symptoms: runny/sore/swollen/seedy/dizzy/queasy/feverish/rash.
- Runny: it refers to the nose, the eyes when liquid flows from them. Eg. Symptoms are runny nose, headache and cough.
- Sore (adj.-n.): a part of the body hurting when touched or used. Eg. to have a sore finger/ a sore throat. She’s feeling a bit sore after the operation.
- Swollen: inflamed. Eg. I’ve detected a swollen ganglion on my neck.
- Seedy: rather ill. Eg. I woke up feeling seedy this morning, I’m afraid I’m catching the flu.
- Dizzy: feeling of losing balance of being about to fall. Eg. After the accident her head hurt and she felt slightly dizzy and disoriented.
- Queasy: general malaise, generally in the stomach, as a sign of being sick. Eg. He was very prone to car-sickness and whenever he got in a car he started feeling queasy.
- Feverish: condition in which the patient manifests high temperature.
- Rash: an area of red spots that appears on the skin as a result of being ill or having a bad reaction to something that you have eaten or touched. Eg. He may break in a rash when he eats these nuts.
EXERCISE.
1. When I stand up the room seems to be going round. I feel really--------------------
2. I’m not in pain but the glands in my neck seem to be--------------------------
3. I’ve got a-----------------------nose. I suppose it’s a cold coming on.
4. I’ve come out in a---------------------all over my chest and arms. I think I may be allergic to cats.
5. it’s like being sea-sick. I feel----------------------whenever I move about.
6. It’s hard to describe. I just feel generally--------------------Can you prescribe a tonic?
7. My throat’s awfully------------------------I hope it’s not another bout of tonsillitis.
8. I haven’t taken her temperature yet but her face is flushed and she seems----------------------
22. Abdomen/stomach/paunch/belly/tummy (tum)/intestine/guts/bowels
- Stomach: most common standard word both in medical use and in familiar use.
- Paunch=gut: the exterior appearance of the stomach. Eg. His huge beer gut/paunch.
- Belly=tummy (tum): familiar words for stomach, particularly in children’s language. Eg. Mummy, my belly hurts!!
- Intestines: standard word in medical use.
- Bowel(s)/gut(s): familiar terms for intestines or viscera although both are frequently used in medical language. Eg. He had a bowel cancer. He died from a ruptured gut.
*In English you use guts to refer to the feeling of excitement, nervousness, or anxiety when waiting for something to happen. Eg. I had a feeling in my guts that something was wrong. “To have the guts” also mean to have courage. Eg. I don’t have the guts to tell him the truth.
EXERCISE
1. In the class of animal biology we dissect a frog’s----------------------------
2. I am feeling something wrong with my------------------------, I think the food in that restaurant wasn’t OK.
3. Mom, my------------------------------aches!
4. Crohn’s disease affects the---------------------------
5. What a------------------------! You don’t do much sport, do you?
23. Dizzy (dizziness)/giddy/light-headed/faint/vertigo/weak at the knees/shaky
- Dizzy=giddy=light-headed=weak at the knees: very similar in meaning. Malfunction of the sense of balance.
- Faint (v.): to stop being conscious for a short time and, usually fall down.
- Vertigo: Malfunction of the sense of balance. Eg. He suffers from vertigo when he approaches the window.
EXERCISE.
1. As I heard about the accident and of her death I---------------------
2. After my second glass of whisky I began to feel--------------------------
3. The problems with his ears caused him attacks of---------------------------
24. Dressing/bandage/plaster/plastic plaster/Band-aid/stick plaster/adhesive strip.
- Dressing: (very general word) a thing used for treating the wound, for example a bandage.
- Bandage: a piece of cloth which is wrapped around a wound or an injured limb. Eg. Put a bandage around the wound.
- Plaster: a white powder which is mixed with water and used to make solid support to cover a broken limb. Eg. After the accident he had his leg in plaster for two months.
- Band-aid=stick plaster=adhesive strip: sticky band of plastic that serves to cover small wounds or injuries. Eg. I made a small cut in my finger with a knife, that’s why I’m wearing a stick plaster around it.
EXERCISE.
1. I broke my right humerus so I had my arm in--------------------for quite a long time.
2. This graze in my finger itches whenever I touch something, I have to put a--------------------- on it.
3. All the upper area of my left arm is very sore and when it rubs against my clothes it gets even more sore, I hope I can alleviate that by wrapping a--------------------around it.
25. To be healthy/sane (insane)/fit.
- To be healthy: very general word referring to mental and physical stability and well-being.
- Sane: specifically referred to mental health. Eg. He hardly recovered his sanity after knowing the murder of his children.
- To be fit: to be in form, in shape, in good physical condition. Eg. I go to the gym regularly to keep fit.
EXERCISE.
1. My grandpa is so-----------------------! He can walk two kilometres without stopping just once.
2. His condition has been deteriorating very quickly, first it was his physical condition, now I think he is losing his----------------------
3. To keep-----------------------------try to eat more vegetables and fruit.
26. Tablet/pill/capsule/lozenge/tonic/syrup/
- Tablet: a small flat round piece of dry drug which patients swallows. Eg. A bottle of aspirin tablets.
- Pill/capsule/lozenge: a small hard round ball of drug which is to be swallowed whole. Eg. Take two pills three times a day.
- Tonic: a medicine that increases one’s strength or energy, taken especially after an illness or when one is tired.
- Syrup: a medicine in the form of a thick liquid substance.
EXERCISE.
1. You look too pale and weak, shouldn’t you take a----------------------?
2. I was coughing all night long, so today I’ll buy a cough-----------------------to avoid that happening again tomorrow.
3. It’s frustrating, my child is so afraid with choking with------------------------------that it’s impossible to make him swallow them, I always have to ask the doctor to prescribe the medicine in packs.
4. Take two------------------------a day and you’ll observe a prompt alleviation.
SOME FALSE FRIENDS:
Abatament: no es abatimiento (depression), sino disminución, alivio.
“Aborto”- abortion. En inglés hay dos términos para el castellano “aborto”: abortion y miscarriage. Abortion alude a la eliminación del feto inducido por métodos artificiales, mientras miscarriage se refiere únicamente a la pérdida del feto por problemas fisiológicos naturales diversos.
Abortus: no es aborto (abortion or miscarriage), sino feto no viable o engendro.
Affection: no es afección (dolence), sino afecto.
Apposite: no es apósito (application, poultice), sino apropiado o oportuno.
Blood pressure: no es presión sanguínea, sino presión arterial o tensión arterial.
Carbuncle: no es carbunco (anthrax), sino ántrax.
Charbon: no es carbón sino pústula maligna o ántrax.
Chloride: no es clorido, sino cloruro.
Columnar cell: no es célula columnar sino célula cilíndrica.
Communicable: en el lenguaje médico: contagioso o transmisible.
Communicology: infectología.
Condition: en el lenguaje médico trastorno, proceso, constitución.
Connatal: congénito o innato.
Constipation-constipated: no es “constipado” (to have the flu) sino estreñimiento.
Contraceptive: en castellano no existe “contraceptivo”. Tradúzcase anticonceptivo.
Deficient: no deficiente mental, sino solo para referirse a una carencia como “a diet deficient in iron”.
Discoloration: en medicina cualquier cambio de color (no sólo descoloración).
Disorder: en el lenguaje médico alteración, trastorno o enfermedad.
Dolorous: solo para referirse a emociones o sentimientos.
Drug: en castellano en contesto médico medicamento, fármaco o sustancia farmacéutica.
Effusion: en el lenguaje médico derrame.
Emergency: en medicina se usa más con el sentido de urgencia que de emergencia
Expiration: además de expiración (muerte), es también espiración (expeler aire).
Extirpation: no se utiliza en el sentido médico (escisión).
Failure: en medicina se usa más con el sentido de insuficiencia (cardiac, hepatic, renal failure) que de fallo o fracaso.
Fatal: se usa más en el sentido de mortal.
Fibula: no es fíbula, sino peroné.
Fluid: en lenguaje médico se usa más en el sentido de líquido que de fluido. Eg. Cerebrospinal fluid (líquido cefalorraquídeo).
Gripe: no es gripe (influenza) sino retortijones o cólico.
Half life: no es vida media, sino semivida o hemivida en farmacología.
Hazard: no es azar sino riesgo o peligro.
Humanized milk: leche maternizada.
Hydrocarbon: no es hidrocarbono, sino hidrocarburo.
Hydrochloride: no es hidroclorido ni hidrocloruro, sino clorhidrato.
Infant: no es infante, sino lactante.
Injury: no es injuria (offence) sino herida o lesión.
Insane: no es insano (unhealthy) sino demente o loco.
Insanity: locura
Insult: en medicina ataque o acceso.
Intervention: no se utiliza en un sentido médico (operation).
Intoxication: normalmente por ingesta excesiva de alcohol y no cualquier intoxicación (poisoning).
Labour: no es “labor” sino en obstetricia parto.
Lactation: en castellano se prefiere lactancia.
Lobar: derivado de lobe (lóbulo). En castellano lobular.
Mold: hongo o moho.
Murmur: en medicina, generalmente soplo.
Node: no es nodo, sino nódulo o nudo (también ganglio linfático).
Nodal: nodular o ganglionar.
NSAIDs: en castellano AINE (antiinflamatorios no esteroides).
Obcecation: no es “obcecación”, sino ceguera parcial.
Pathologist: no es patólogo, sino anatomopatólogo.
Pathology: se refiere a anatomía patológica y no a patología.
Physic: no es física (physics), sino medicina
Physician: médico.
Piles: hemorroides.
Plague: no es plaga sino peste bubónica.
Preservative: no es “preservativo” (condom, anticonceptive) sino conservante.
Prospect: no es “prospecto” (prospectus) sino perspectiva.
Receit: solo en el sentido culinario de receta. Receta médica: prescription.
Response: en medicina acción o reflejo.
Rubeola: no es rubéola (rubella) sino sarampión.
Sensitive: no es sensitivo, sino sensible.
Severe: no es severo o riguroso, sino grave, intenso o agudo.
Tablet: no es tableta (lozenge) sino comprimido.
To asume: en lenguaje médico suponer o presumir.
To enlarge: no es alargar, sino ensanchar, agrandar o dilatar.
To postulate: en lenguaje médico no es postular sino proponer.
To remove: no es remover sino eliminar o extirpar.
Topic: no es tópico, sino materia, asunto o tema.
Trace element: no es “elemento traza” sino oligoelemento.