At the Doctor's - У доктора

One of our first duties is to keep our body in perfect order. If our body suffers from any disorder, our mind suffers from it too and we are unable to make much progress in our studies, we are unfit to perform our duties.

There are certain laws of keeping health which are so simple that even a little child can learn them. Fresh air is very important to good health, perfect cleanliness is also essential. Every room in the house, especially bedroom should be properly cleaned. The whole body should be washed regularly. We like to look at someone who is tidy and clean. Certain exercises are also necessary to keep fit. The old and the young should do morning exercises. Rest is also important to the health of both body and mind. Plenty of food rich in vitamins is indispensable for our health, too.

If one of these rules is broken we may fall ill. The public health system has a variety of medical institutions. There are polyclinics, hospitals, dispensaries and some other medical institutions in our country. The principle of our public health protection is the prevention of a disease. It is a matter of concern not only for doctors, but for the entire society.

Last winter I fell ill. I caught a bad cold. I felt sick and giddy. I had a bad cough and was running a high temperature. I had also a cold in my head and a terrible sore throat. It hurt me when I swallowed. It was clear that I needed a doctor's aid.

My mother dialed the polyclinic and made an appointment with the doctor. In an hour or so the doctor in a white gown came' in. Before diagnosing the disease, she asked me to strip to the waist, examined my throat, felt my pulse, sounded my heart and lungs and tested my blood pressure. She said it was quinsy.

The doctor told me to stay in bed for a week to avoid complications after the illness. Then she prescribed me some pills, drops and a mixture. I was to take a table-spoonful of mixture twice a day, three pills a day after meals and some drops of medicine into my nose. Then my mother went to the chemist's to have the prescription made up.

I followed all the doctor's directions and in a week I felt much better. At the end of the week I went to the polyclinic where I had my chest X- rayed and my blood tested. Everything was all right. I recovered. The doctor gave me a sick-note and said that I was as fit as a fiddle.