Task 3. Practise finding out information like this. Work in the same way as in Task 2. Use all the methods given in Language focus 2 in your questioning.

Unit 1 Taking a history 1. Task 1

DOCTOR: Good morning, Mr Hall. What 's brought you along today?

PATIENT: Well, you see, doctor, I've been having these headaches, you see, and …

DOCTOR: Aha, and how long have they been bothering ['bODqrIN] (беспокоят) you?

PATIENT: Er, well, they started about, well it must have been about three months ago.

DOCTOR: I see. And which part of your head is affected?

PATIENT: Well, it's, it's right across the front here.

DOCTOR: Mm. And can you describe the pain?

PATIENT: Erm, it's a sort of dull, dull and throbbing kind of pain.

DOCTOR: I see, and do they come on at any particular time?

PATIENT: They seem to be, they're usually worse in the morning. I notice them when I wake up.

DOCTOR: Mm. And Is there anything that makes them better?

PATIENT: Well, if I lie down for a while, they seem to get, they go away.

DOCTOR: Yes, and has there been anything else apart from these headaches?

PATIENT: Well. the wife, my wife. she says that I seem to be getting a bit deaf (глухой).

DOCTOR: Oh? Well. Mr Hall, I think at this stage I'll start by checking your ears to see if there's any wax.

LANGUAGE FOCUS

Note how the doctor starts the interview:

- What’s brought you along today? (Что привело Вас сегодня?)

Other ways of starting an interview are:

- What can I do for you?

- What seems to be the problem? (В чем, на Ваш взгляд, проблема?)

Note how the doctor asks how long the problem has lasted.

- How long have they been bothering you?

Another way of asking about this is:

- How long have you had them?

Task 2. Study this short dialogue.

DOCTOR: Well, Mrs Black. What’s brought you along today?

PATIENT: I've got a bad dose of flu. (1)

DOCTOR: How long has it been bothering you?

PATIENT: Two or three days. (2)

Practise this dialogue. Your partner should play the part of the patient. He or she can select replies from lists (1) and (2) below. Use all the ways of starting an interview and asking how long the problem has lasted.

(1)

a bad dose of fIu

terrible constipation (запор)

swollen ankles (опухшие лодыжки)

a pain in my stomach

(2)

two or three days

since Tuesday

a fortnight = two weeks

for almost a month

LANGUAGE FOCUS 2

Note how the doctor asks where the problem is:

- Which part of your head is affected (поражена)?

Other ways of finding this out are;

- Where does it hurt? - Where is it sore **

Note how the doctor asks about the type of pain:

- Can you describe the pain?

Other ways of asking this are:

- What is the pain like? / - What kind of pain is if?

** Hurt is a verb. We use it I like this: My fool hurts

Sore is an adjective. We can say: My fool is sore or I have a sore fool.

Task 3. Practise finding out information like this. Work in the same way as in Task 2. Use all the methods given in Language focus 2 in your questioning.

DOCTOR: Which part of your head (chest, back, etc.) is affected?

PATIENT: Just here.

DOCTOR: Can you describe the pain?

PATIENT: It's a dull sort of ache. (1)

(1)

a dull sort of ache

a feeling of pressure

very sore, like a knife

a burning pain

LANGUAGE FOCUS 3

Note how the doctor asks if anything relieves the pain of headaches:

- Is there anything that makes them better*?

Similarly he can ask:

- Does anything make them worse?

Doctors often ask if anything else affects the problem. For example:

- What effect does food have?

- Does lying down help the pain?

* Better means improved or relieved. It does not mean cured.

Task 4 Work with a partner. In each of these cases, ask your partner where the pain is. Then ask two other appropriate questions to help you reach a diagnosis. There is a diagram in the Key showing your partner where to indicate in each case. Use all the ways of questioning we have studied in this section. For example:

DOCTOR: Where does it hurt?

PATIENT: Right across here. (indicating the central chest area)

DOCTOR: Can you describe the pain?

PATIENT: It's like a heavy weight pressing on my chest.

DOCTOR: Does anything make it better?

PAT IENT: If I stop for a bit, it goes away.

In this example, the patient's symptoms suggest angina.

Now try each of these four cases in the same way_

Situation 1

DOCTOR: ______________

PATIENT: Here, just under my ribs. (1)

DOCTOR: _____________________

PATIENT: It gets worse and worse. Then it goes away.

DOCTOR: __________________________

PATIENT: Food makes it worse.

Situation 2.

DOCTOR: _________________________

PATIENT: It's right here. (2)

DOCTOR: _________________________

PATIENT: It's a gnawing kind of pain.

DOCTOR:

PATIENT: Yes, if I eat, it gets better.

Situation 3

DOCTOR: __________________

PATIENT: Down here. (3)

DOCTOR: ____________________

PATIENT: It's a sharp, stabbing pain. It's like a knife.

DOCTOR: ________________________

PATIENT: If I take a deep breath, or I cough, it's really sore.

DOCTOR: _______________

PATIENT: Just here. (4)

DOCTOR: _____________________

PATIENT: My chest feels raw inside.

DOCTOR: ______________________

PATIENT: When I cough, it hurts most.