1. FUNCTIONS OF THE BODY
DR. JCDT
Dr. Juan Carlos Díaz Torre
Pediatra Neonatólogo
dr_diaz_torre@hotmail.com
(779) 100 - 40 - 26
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2. Eating:
You are hungry. You are in a restaurante
and the waiter brings your food.
You smell it. It stimulates your appetite –
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you want to eat.
Your mouth waters, filling with saliva.
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3. 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:
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Sight
What is Hearing Like?
your
Sense of
smell
Normal?
Is Your Sense of 3
taste

4. To ask about the sense of touch, doctors
talk about numbness (loss of sensation):
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Have you noticed any numbness
(in your fingers or toes)?
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5. Other functions :
Function Verb Noun
Speaking Speak - Speech
Walking Walk - Gait
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Breathing Inhale/breathe in/ - Breath
respiration take a breath in.
Exhale/ breathe out
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6. Other functions :
Function Verb Noun
Urination Urinate - Urine
Micturition Micturate
Pass urine
Pass water
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Defecation Defecate - Faeces
Pass faeces - Stools
Pass stools
Menstruation Menstruate - Menstrual
Have a period period
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- Monthly
period

7. When taking a history, doctors can ask:
walking?
trouble breathing?
Do you have any difficulty passing urine?
problems with your speech
pain when you breathe
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in?
When ausculting a patient´s lungs, the
doctor tells the patient:
Take a deep breath in, hold your breath,
then breathe out completely. 7

8. Less common functions:
There are some things we do less often:
- When we are hot, we sweat.
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- When we are nervous, we shake.
- When we are sad, we cry.
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9. Doctors can ask:
sweat
Do you shake more than usual?
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cry
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10. Match the symptoms to the
questions,using your medical knowledge:
1.- Dysuria a)What is your breathing like?
2.- Dysphagia b) Do you have any pain when
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you pass water?
3.- Diplopia c) Do you have any difficulty with
your speech?
4.- Dysphasia d) Do you have any trouble
swallowing?
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5.- Dyspnea e) Is your vision normal?

11. Patients are describing symptoms of the
conditions shown in brackets. Complete
the sentences:
1.- I have got pain and ______in both feet.
(Peripheral neuropathy)
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2.- I am having difficulty ______ solid food.
(Oesophageal stricture)
3.- I have a lot of problems ______ .
(Prostatic hypertrophy)
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12. 4.- I have been ______ more than usual,
even when it is not hot.
(Hyperthyroidism)
5.- I have noticed that my hands ______
when I am not using them.
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(Parkinsonism)
6.- I have trouble ______ when I climb the
stairs.
(Left heart failure)
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13. Complete the sentences:
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 ____
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(pass/have) stools?
3.- I have no ____ (taste/ appetite) and I
have lost five kilos in the last few
weeks.
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14. You think a patient may have diabetes.
Think of five questions you can ask him to
investigate further (IN ENGLISH).
Try to use question types presented in
this exercise.
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(Hambre, sed, ganancia o pérdida de
peso, diuresis, cansancio, visión,
neuropatía, calambres, libido, etc.)
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15. Gracias por su atención
DR. JCDT
Dr. Juan Carlos Díaz Torre
Pediatra Neonatólogo
dr_diaz_torre@hotmail.com
(779) 100 - 40 - 26
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