Page 70 - SST Class 05
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11 Advancement in
Medical Science
Medical Science and I
Every person needs medicine at one time or the other; for example, when you hurt your foot or when you
fall ill. When illness is slight, your mother first tries to cure you by homemade solution. She may apply
turmeric powder on your wound, or give you a clove to chew when you get a toothache. These are called
Granny’s formulae. These formulae may be good enough over a long time, but when you need quick relief,
medical science is the only answer.
Health is of utmost importance in life. Without it you cannot enjoy life, nor can you do
things well, nor can you play well, nor can you eat well, and more. Modern medical
science has helped to make life healthier and longer. Science has helped much in
preservation of health and treatment of illnesses. Different types of medical
instruments and medicines have been invented, which have helped man to live a
longer and healthier life. This is the reason that man now lives a longer average life.
Medical Instruments
Clinical Thermometer
In many illnesses, like an infection, the body temperature goes up. When a doctor feels
you warm, he at first measures your body temperature. For this, she uses a clinical
thermometer, also called a doctor’s thermometer. For this, she puts a thermometer on
your body (in the mouth or armpit). When the thermometer touches the body, it heats
up with the body heat; this heat expands the mercury present in the thermometer. At
its maximum heat received from the body, mercury reaches a definite mark; this mark
denotes the body temperature.
The thermometer is a doctor’s best friend. It was invented by a German physicist, Gabriel
Daniel Fahrenheit , in 1715. It is a glass tube with a bulb at one end filled with mercury.
A thermometer tells the temperature in Fahrenheit or Celsius, or both. The normal
body temperature of a human being is 98.4 degree Fahrenheit (98.4oF) or 37 degree
Celsius (37°C). A higher temperature than this means fever.
70 Contemporary Social Science-5
