If we’ve caught cold,
have a splitting headache, have a clogged nose, cough, are running high
temperature, we must go to the policlinic. First we come to the
registry. The registry clerk on a duty asks our name, address, age and
occupation. He writes out some slips because several specialists will
examine us. Some of them will listen to out heart and lungs, some will
check up our kidneys, liver, stomach, eyesight, and hearing. The others
will make our blood analysis, take our blood pressure and x-ray us.
Our district doctor sees his patients in consulting room 4. A nurse
gives us a thermometer to take our temperature. We must keep it under an
armpit. Last time my temperature was 37,9. The doctor asked what my
trouble was. He offered to sit down in a chair and to strip to the
waist. He felt my pulse. It was faint and accelerated. Then I lay on the
examination couch and the doctor palpated my abdomen. He asked me from
what disease I suffered in my childhood. I suffered from scarlet fever.
Now I felt dizzy and was damp with sweat. The doctor filled in my card
and diagnosed the case as the flu. Then he wrote out a
prescription for some medicines: pills, powder, drops, and mixture. He
also advised me to take a scalding footbath, to put a hot water bottle
to my feet, to have hot tea with raspberry jam. That would keep my fever
down. The result of my x-ray examination and blood analysis was normal.
I had the prescription made at the chemist’s. I followed the prescribed
treatment to avoid complications. 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 sports make 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
doctor away. That’s why I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables.
In case of sudden and severe illness or an accident calls are made to
the first aid station. There the doctors are on duty all day long. There
are many ambulances there. The ambulances are equipped with everything
necessary to give the first aid. The patient is transported to hospital.
There he is taken to the reception ward first. After questioning and
examination the doctor fills in the patient’s case history. Then a
patient is given special clothes and is put to some ward for treatment.
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. There are
different departments in the hospital. They are: a surgical department,
therapy, and the department of infectious diseases.
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