Question

Answer the following questions

A)- How could you use a system of location similar to north/south and east/west to describe location on a patient's body? Why is this important?

B)- Why is it important to be able to break down medical terms into component parts? Why not just memorize each term?

C)- Does the body use all of the food we eat?

D)- What is the function and basic structure of the nervous system?

E)- After a patient’s blood pressure is measured with a sphygmomanometer, it is reported in the form of a fraction (e.g., 120/80 mm Hg). What do these numbers represent?

Answer 1

1. We usually describe the location of a body part or a lesion in the body by using a set of words that indicate the place of the body part or lesion. We use the words medial or lateral, anterior or posterior, proximal or distal. These help in perfectly describing a part or lesion in the body without any confusion. This helps in locating a particular part or place in the body universally without creating any kind of chaos among people or doctors.

2. It is always very important to breakdown medical terms rather than memorizing it because this will help in providing some valuable information about the term. This will ultimately help in understanding the concept of the condition we are reading. Simply mugging up words will lead to confusion and tangled up ideas in the mind. For example hypoglycemia- here hypo suggests less, glycaemia suggests the amount of glucose present in the blood. Hence we get the idea that hypoglycemia suggests a lower concentration of glucose in the blood than the normal range.

3. No, the body does not use all the food we eat. It is evident from the fact that our body keeps the nutrients that are required for the growth and development of the body and excretes everything else. Our body absorbs the important minerals and nutrients to aid growth. Everything else is rejected and excreted in the form of urine, stools, and sweat. Also, carbon dioxide released during respiration can be considered as a product of excretion.

4. The basic function of the nervous system is to carry sensory and motor signals throughout the body and to interpret them. The nervous system is basically is of two types central nervous system and peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system comprises of the brain and spinal cord that interpret the signals received and generate response. The peripheral nervous system basically consists of the nerves and ganglia that are present outside the central nervous system and connects all the organs and parts of the body to the central nervous system.

5. Blood pressure is written as a fraction example 120/80 mmHg. Here the numerator represents the systolic blood pressure (SBP) whereas the denominator represents the diastolic blood pressure(DBP).

Systolic blood pressure refers to the maximum amount of arterial pressure produced during the contraction of the left ventricle of the heart.

Diastolic blood pressure refers to the least amount of arterial pressure produced due to relaxation of the left ventricle.