Sickness – is very similar in meaning to illness, can be used in the names of specific diseases

(sleeping sickness, travel sickness), can also mean nausea or vomiting.

Sleeping sickness - a tropical disease causes fever, chills, pain in the limbs, and anemia, and
eventually affects the nervous system causing extreme lethargy and death.

Travel sickness – nausea while moving.

Illness – a disease or period of sickness affecting the body or mind.

To make a recovery – to improve in health.

To deteriorate – to worsen in health.

Get over (an illness) – to recover.

Relapse – to get better but then get worse again.

Remission – improvement, especially in recurring diseases.

Calf – the fleshy part at the back of a person's leg below the knee.

Navel – belly button

Loins - the part of the body on both sides of the spine between the lowest (false) ribs and the
hipbones.

Groin - the area between the abdomen and the thigh on either side of the body.

Shin - the front of the leg below the knee.

Trunk – the body excluding the head and limbs

Angina pectoris - a condition marked by severe pain in the chest, often also spreading to the
shoulders, arms, and neck, caused by an inadequate blood supply to the heart.

Renal colic - is a type of abdominal pain commonly caused by kidney stones.

Inguinal swelling – swelling in groin area.

Periumbilical rash – a rash in the navel area.

Thoracic pain – pain in the chest.

Mandibular pain – jaw pain.

Hepatic disease – diseas of liver.

Pancreas - a large gland behind the stomach that secretes digestive enzymes into the duodenum.

Duodenum - the first part of the small intestine immediately beyond the stomach.

Gall blader - the small sac-shaped organ beneath the liver, in which bile is stored after secretion by
the liver and before release into the intestine.

Liver - a large lobed glandular organ in the abdomen of vertebrates, involved in many metabolic
processes.

Kidneys - each of a pair of organs in the abdominal cavity of mammals, birds, and reptiles,
excreting urine.
Spleen - an abdominal organ involved in the production and removal of blood cells in most
vertebrates and forming part of the immune system.

Stomach - the internal organ in which the major part of the digestion of food occurs, being (in
humans and many mammals) a pear-shaped enlargement of the alimentary canal linking the
esophagus to the small intestine.

Bowel/intestine - the part of the alimentary canal below the stomach.

Airways – a passage for a current of air.

Lungs – each of the pair of organs situated within the rib cage, consisting of elastic sacs with
branching passages into which air is drawn, so that oxygen can pass into the blood and carbon
dioxide be removed.

Left lung is divided into two lobes.

Right lung is divided into three lobes.

Larynx – the hollow muscular organ forming an air passage to the lungs and holding the vocal
cords in humans and other mammals.

Trachea (windpipe) – a large membranous tube reinforced by rings of cartilage, extending from the
larynx to the bronchial tubes and conveying air to and from the lungs.

Right and left bronchus – any of the major air passages of the lungs that diverge from the
windpipe.

Bronchioles - any of the minute branches into which a bronchus divides.

Diaphragm - a dome-shaped, muscular partition separating the thorax from the abdomen in
mammals.

Bladder - a membranous sac in humans and other animals, in which urine is collected for
excretion.

Pelvis - the large bony structure near the base of the spine to which the hind limbs or legs are
attached.

Ureter - the duct by which urine passes from the kidney to the bladder.

Urethra - the duct by which urine is conveyed out of the body from the bladder.

Hepatitis – liver disease.

Pneumonia – lungs

Nephritis – kidneys

Gastric ulcer – large bowel

Cystitis – bladder

Angina pectoris – heart

Cholecystitis – gall bladder

Ulcerative colitis – stomach

Auscultation - the action of listening to sounds from the heart, lungs, or other organs, typically with
a stethoscope, as a part of medical diagnosis.

Dysuria – problems with passing of water.

Dysphagia – problems with swallowing.

Diplopia – problems with vision.

Dysphasia – problems with speech.

Dyspnoea – problems with breathing.

Peripheral neuropathy – numbness of feet.

Oesophageal stricture – difficulty swallowing.

Prostatic hypertrophy – problems with urinating.

Hyperthyroidism – excessive sweating.

Parkinsonism – shaking of hands.

Left heart failure – trouble breathing.

MD’s must be qualified (have a degree in medicine) and be registered (included in General Medical
Council’s list).

Clinician – a doctor who treats patients.

General Practitioner (GP) – a doctor who provides primary care.

Group practice – run by several doctors.

Health centre – building in which doctors work.

Pediatrician – doctor who treats kids.

Surgery (surgeons) – a branch of medicine.

Internal medicine – a branch of medicine that deals with everything inside the trunk.\

Physicians – doctors who treat patients in all ways but surgical.

Cardiologist – a doctor who specializes in diseases of heart and blood circulation.

Geriatrician – a doctor who specializes in diseases of elderly patients.

Anaesthetist – a doctor who specializes in anaesthetics.

Neurosurgery – nervous system surgery, especially brain.

Dermatology – skin diseases.

Rheumatology – joints and connective tissue.

Traumatology – severe physical injuries.

Paediatrics – kids.

Obstetrics – childbirth.
Pathologist – specializes in diagnosing diseases through examining cells and tissue.

Oncologist – specializes in cancer.

Pre-registration house officer (house officer) – graduated doctor in the first year of postgraduate
training, after a year s/he will become registered.

Senior house officer – doctor in the second year of postgraduate training.

Special registrar – is a doctor who completed the postgraduate training (Foundation Programme)
and is training in one of the medical specialties.

Non-training registrar – doctors who have completed their training but don’t specialize yet.

Consultant – is a fully qualified specialist.

Associate specialist – senior doctors who are not consultants yet.

Foundation Programme (FP) – obligatory training + med exam 2 years after graduation.

Admit to a hospital – to come to a hospital for treatment.

To clerk a patient – to take their medical history.

Electrocardiogram (ECG) - a record or display of a person's heartbeat produced by

electrocardiography.

Diagnosis - the identification of the nature of an illness or other problem by examination of the
symptoms.

Ward - a separate room in a hospital, typically one allocated to a particular type of patient.

To discharge a patient – to send them home.

On call – available to return to the hospital if necessary.

Check-up – overall examination of the patient.

Ward round – visit of the patients by med staff to discuss the course of the disease.

Student nurse – a nurse who is in training.

Staff nurse – a nurse who has completed the training course.

Charge nurse – a more experienced nurse who is in charge of a ward or department.

Nurse manager – a nurse who is in charge of several wards.

Clinical support worker – nursing assistant who has done a short course and obtained basic
qualification.

Nursing auxiliary – unqualified nursing assistant.

Ward clerks – their duty is making sure that patients’ notes and info is up to date.

Midwife – management of pregnancy and childbirth.

District nurses – visits patients in their homes.

Health visitors – work in their community, giving advice on the promotion of health and the
prevention of illness.

Dressing – e.g bandage

Injections

Sutures – stitches.

Lesion – tissue damage.

Benign moles – not harmful small, often slightly raised blemish on the skin made dark by a high
concentration of melanin.

Biopsy – an examination of tissue removed from a living body to discover the presence, cause ore
extent of the disease.

Laparotomy - a surgical incision into the abdominal cavity, for diagnosis or in preparation for
surgery.

Lumbar puncture - the procedure of taking fluid from the spine in the lower back through a hollow
needle, usually done for diagnostic purposes.

Meningitis - inflammation of the meninges caused by viral or bacterial infection.

Hemicolectomy - a surgical procedure that involves removing a segment of the colon.

Not MD’s :

Physiotherapists – help people to move by getting them to do exercises or by massage.

Occupational therapists – help people with a disability to perform tasks at home.

Social workers – help people to solve their social problems.

Chiropodists (podiatrists) – treat conditions affecting the feet.

Technicians – people who work with scientific equipment.

Ambulance technicians – e.g. driver.

Paramedic - a person who is trained to do medical work, especially emergency first aid, but is not
usually a fully qualified physician.

Prosthetists and orthotists – provide people with artificial limbs or devices to support or control part
of the body.

Prosthesis – instead of original limb.

Orthosis – support for existing limb.

Rehabilitation – help patients return to normal life after treatment.

Amputation – removal of a limb.

Splints - supports for legs.

Deformity – a deformed part of the body.

Club foot - a deformed foot that is twisted so that the sole cannot be placed flat on the ground.
Opticians – deal with vision.

Retina - a layer at the back of the eyeball containing cells that are sensitive to light.

Glaucoma - a condition of increased pressure within the eyeball, causing gradual loss of sight.

Ophthalmologist – deals with diseases of eyes.

Fracture – crack.

Fungal infection – infection caused by fungus.

Outpatient – a patient who receives treatment without being admitted to the hospital.

Cerebral palsy - a condition marked by impaired muscle coordination.

General hospital – deals with all types of patients except paediatrics.

Specialist hospital – for specific types of patients and illnesses.

Intensive Care Unit (ICU) – is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that
provides intensive treatment medicine.

Surgical High Dependency Unit (HDU) - is an area in a hospital, usually located close to
the intensive care unit, where patients can be cared for more extensively than on a normal ward,
but not to the point of intensive care.

Clinic – individual meeting with a patient or a room in a hospital.

Neonatology - is a subspecialty of pediatrics that consists of the medical care of newborn infants.

Day surgery unit – if the treatment only requires one day, or simple operation.

Accident and Emergency Department – for acutely (sudden, serious conditions) ill patients.

Outpatient Department – for outpatients.

To refer a patient – to reroute a patient to another specialist.

Myocardial infarction - commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or
stops to a part of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle.

Diabetic coma – is a life-threatening diabetes complication that causes unconsciousness. 

Radical prostatectomy – a surgical operation to remove all of the prostate gland.

Threatened abortion – a threat of abortion or miscarriage.

Vaccination – inoculation – immunization

Locum – only used for the replacement for MD’s, teachers and priests.

Housebound – unable to leave home.

Receptionist – responsible for making appointments, taking requests for repeat prescriptions, initial
patient contact.

Practice manager – responsible for finances and sometimes IT.

One-to-one clinic – individual.

Practice nurses – run asthma, diabetes and cardiovascular disease clinics.

Hernia – a condition in which part of the organ is displaced and protrudes through the wall of the
cavity containing it.