You are on page 1of 53

An Introduction to Medical Spanish:

Communication and Culture 5th Edition


Robert O. Chase
Visit to download the full and correct content document:
https://textbookfull.com/product/an-introduction-to-medical-spanish-communication-an
d-culture-5th-edition-robert-o-chase/
More products digital (pdf, epub, mobi) instant
download maybe you interests ...

Real Communication An Introduction 5th Edition O Hair


Dan Weimann Mary Mullin Dorothy Imrich Teven Jason

https://textbookfull.com/product/real-communication-an-
introduction-5th-edition-o-hair-dan-weimann-mary-mullin-dorothy-
imrich-teven-jason/

In the Company of Others: An Introduction to


Communication 5th Edition Dan Rothwell

https://textbookfull.com/product/in-the-company-of-others-an-
introduction-to-communication-5th-edition-dan-rothwell/

An Introduction to English Legal History 5th Edition


John Baker

https://textbookfull.com/product/an-introduction-to-english-
legal-history-5th-edition-john-baker/

An Introduction to Statistical Mechanics and


Thermodynamics 2nd Edition Robert H. Swendsen

https://textbookfull.com/product/an-introduction-to-statistical-
mechanics-and-thermodynamics-2nd-edition-robert-h-swendsen/
Everyday encounters: an introduction to interpersonal
communication Fifth Canadian Edition Schweitzer

https://textbookfull.com/product/everyday-encounters-an-
introduction-to-interpersonal-communication-fifth-canadian-
edition-schweitzer/

Health Illness and Society An Introduction to Medical


Sociology Steven E. Barkan

https://textbookfull.com/product/health-illness-and-society-an-
introduction-to-medical-sociology-steven-e-barkan/

Geographies of Development An Introduction to


Development Studies Robert Potter

https://textbookfull.com/product/geographies-of-development-an-
introduction-to-development-studies-robert-potter/

The Real World An Introduction to Sociology 5th Edition


Kerry Ferris

https://textbookfull.com/product/the-real-world-an-introduction-
to-sociology-5th-edition-kerry-ferris/

American Cultural Studies An Introduction to American


Culture Neil Campbell

https://textbookfull.com/product/american-cultural-studies-an-
introduction-to-american-culture-neil-campbell/
An Introduction to Medical Spanish

Y7420-Chase.indb i 7/20/18 12:32 PM


This page intentionally left blank
An Introduction to

Medical
Spanish
Communication and Culture

FIFTH EDITION

Robert O. Chase and Clarisa B. Medina de Chase

Y7420-Chase.indb iii 7/20/18 12:32 PM


Copyright © 1998, 2002, 2009, 2013, 2019 by Yale Editor: Sarah Miller
University. Publishing Assistant: Ashley E. Lago
All rights reserved. Manuscript Editor: Deborah Bruce-Hostler
Production Editor: Ann-Marie Imbornoni
Fifth edition 2019. Previous editions of this book Production Controller: Katie Golden
were titled An Introduction to Spanish for Health
Care Workers: Communication and Culture. First Set by Newgen North America.
edition 1998.
Printed in the United States of America.
This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in
part, including illustrations, in any form (beyond Library of Congress Control Number:
that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of 2018937825
the U.S. Copyright Law and except by reviewers ISBN 978-0-300-22602-7 (paperback : alk. paper)
for the public press), without written permission
from the publishers. A catalogue record for this book is available from
the British Library.
Yale University Press books may be purchased
in quantity for educational, business, or promo- This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO
tional use. For information, please e-mail sales Z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper).
.press@yale.edu (U.S. office) or sales@yaleup
.co.uk (U.K. office). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Y7420-Chase.indb iv 7/20/18 12:32 PM


We dedicate this book to health care professionals who defy the notion of
“language barrier” and skillfully establish helping relationships and effective
communication in the linguistic and cultural contexts of their patients; to brave
explorers who cross these boundaries to discern, respect, and consider patient
views that are accessible only by empathy and language accommodation.

The rich like borders and the poor do not.

To have another language is to possess a second soul.

—CHARLEMAGNE

Y7420-Chase.indb v 7/20/18 12:32 PM


This page intentionally left blank
Contents

Scope and Sequenceviii


Prefacexv
Acknowledgmentsxix
Introductionxxi

CHAPTER 1«Buenos días, soy médico»1

CHAPTER 2«¿Cómo está usted?»35

CHAPTER 3«¿Qué le pasa?»61

CHAPTER 4El recepcionista97

CHAPTER 5La familia123

CHAPTER 6La farmacia149

CHAPTER 7La nutrición y las dietas185

CHAPTER 8El examen físico215

CHAPTER 9«¿Qué pasó?»245

CHAPTER 10Padecimientos e historia médica275

CHAPTER 11Internamientos, odontología y la salud mental321

CHAPTER 12Maternidad y protección sexual363

Appendix 1: El abecedario (The Spanish Alphabet)389


Appendix 2: A Guide to Some Irregular and Stem-Changing Verbs391
English to Spanish Glossary397
Spanish to English Glossary415
Answer Key to Ejercicios433
Illustration Credits451
Index453

Y7420-Chase.indb vii 7/20/18 12:32 PM


Scope and Sequence

Chapter 1 Chapter 2
«Buenos días, soy médico» «¿Cómo está usted?»

COM MU N ICATIO N G OA LS COMMU N I CATI O N GOA LS


Greet Your Patient and Introduce Ask How Your Patient Is Feeling 36
Yourself 2 Ask Where People and Places Are
Ask Your Patient’s Name 17 Located 40
Describe People 19 Test a Patient’s Orientation 48

VO CA B U L A RY VO CA B U L A RY
Greetings and Farewells 2 Feelings 37
Professions 11 Pain 38
Countries and Ethnicities 16 Where is it? 41
Personal Characteristics 19 Days of the Week 43
Specialties 49

STRUCTU R E STRUCTU R E
Gender and Number of Nouns and The Verb Estar 38
Definite Articles 6 Forming Questions 42
Subject Pronouns and the Verb Ser 9 Choosing between Ser and Estar 46
Agreement of Adjectives, Nouns, and
Indefinite Articles 21

CU LTU RA L NOTE C U LTU RA L N OTE


Spanish-speakers in the United Attitudes and Ourselves 55
States 28

COMPAN ION WEBSITE COMPAN ION WEBSITE


Video: Presentaciones y especialidades; Video: ¿Cómo está usted?; La
Presentaciones orientación
Audio: Greetings and Farewells; Audio: Los sentimientos; El dolor; ¿Dónde
Professions; Personal Characteristics; está?; Días de la semana; Pronunciation
Pronunciation of Vowels; of Stress and the Written Accent;
Exposición Ejercicio 2.22; Exposición
Electronic Workbook Electronic Workbook

viii

Y7420-Chase.indb viii 7/20/18 12:32 PM


Scope and Sequence ix

Chapter 3 Chapter 4
«¿Qué le pasa?» El recepcionista

COM MU N ICATIO N G OA LS COMMU N I CATI O N GOA LS


Discuss Colds and Influenza 62 Tell a Patient His or Her Vital Signs 98
Ask Whether a Patient Feels Take a Telephone Message 102
Comfortable 68 Make Dates for Future
Discuss Pain 80 Appointments 107
Diagnose Injuries 82 Ask and Tell Age 109
Conduct a Registration or Admissions
Interview 112

VO CA B U L A RY VO CA B U L A RY
What is the matter? 62 Numbers from Zero to 1,000 98
Common Cold and Flu 64 The Month, the Date, and the Time 107
Comfort 68 Personal Information 112
Parts of the Body 71
Pain 81
Injuries 82

STRUCTU R E STRUCTU R E
The Verb Tener 63 Possession 104
The Verb Doler 80 Forming Questions 105
The Past Participle 83

CU LTU RA L NOTE C U LTU RA L N OTE


Expressions for Every Day 9o What’s in a Name? 117

COMPAN ION WEBSITE COMPAN ION WEBSITE


Video: ¿Qué le pasa?; La comodidad Video: La recepcionista; Los números de
Audio: ¿Qué tiene?; La gripe; Las partes del teléfono
cuerpo; El dolor; Pronunciation of G, C, J, Audio: Los meses del año; Telling Time; Los
and H; Exposición datos personales; Pronunciation of Ñ, R,
Electronic Workbook; Downloadable RR, LL, and Y; Exposición
Forms Electronic Workbook

Y7420-Chase.indb ix 7/20/18 12:32 PM


x Scope and Sequence

Chapter 5 Chapter 6
La familia La farmacia

COM MU N ICATIO N G OA LS COMMU N I CATI O N GOA LS


Ask about Family Constellation 124 Give Medication Instructions 151
Take Family Medical History 136 Ask about Medication Allergies and
Take Pediatric Family History 138 Educate Patients about Allergic
Reactions 166
Educate a Patient about Asthma 167
Ask Who Helps an Infirm Family
Member 169
Explain How to Use a Pill Organizer 175

VO CA B U L A RY VO CA B U L A RY
Family Members 124 Forms of Medication 151
More Family Members 125 Dosing Instructions and Routes of
Some Regular Verbs 130 Administration 156
Hereditary Illnesses 136 Some Classes of Medication 161
Allergic Reactions 166

STRUCTU R E STRUCTU R E
Regular Verbs Ending in -ar, -er, and Commands with favor de, hay que, and
-ir 129 tener que 154
The Personal a 135 Formal (usted) Commands 157
Direct Object Pronouns 139 Demonstrative, Affirmative, and Negative
Adjectives 164
Indirect Objects and the Verb Dar 169
Direct and Indirect Objects Used
Together 172

CU LTU RA L NOTE C U LTU RA L N OTE


La familia 144 La confianza 178

COMPAN ION WEBSITE COMPAN ION WEBSITE


Video: La historia clínica familiar; ¿Cuáles Video: ¿Qué medicamentos toma?; Cómo
idiomas habla? usar el inhalador
Audio: Los familiares; Ejercicio 5.10; Audio: Formas de medicamentos; Algunas
Las enfermedades hereditarias; clases de medicamentos; Las reacciones
Pronunciation of B and V; Exposición alérgicas; El asma; Exposición
Electronic Workbook Electronic Workbook

Y7420-Chase.indb x 7/20/18 12:32 PM


Scope and Sequence xi

Chapter 7 Chapter 8
La nutrición y las dietas El examen físico

COM MU N ICATIO N G OA LS COMMU N I CATI O N GOA LS


Ask Patients about Food Preferences 186 Clarify the Chief Complaint 216
Educate Patients about Special Diets 197 Conduct a Physical Examination 221
Teach Patients How to Prepare for a Schedule Follow-up Tests 229
Colonoscopy 202 Say What Is Happening Right Now 233
Educate Parents about Feeding 204

VO CA B U L A RY VO CA B U L A RY
The USDA Food Groups Mi plato 186 The Chief Complaint 216
Meals 190 What makes you better? 219
Special Diets 197 Bowel Movements 220
Colonoscopy and the Clear-Liquids The Physical Exam 224
Diet 202 Exams Unique to Women and Men 228
Nutrition of Babies 204 Some Tests and Procedures 229
Scheduling Appointments 232

STRUCTU R E STRUCTU R E
Verbs like Gustar 189 How long has it been? 217
The Verbs Querer and Preferir to Express The Verb Ir to Talk about the Future 221
Likes and Preferences 195 The Contractions al and del 221
The Verb Deber 198 The Present Progressive Tense 233

CU LTU RA L NOTE C U LTU RA L N OTE


Diet and Regional Foods 209 A Dynamic Process 239

COMPAN ION WEBSITE COMPAN ION WEBSITE


Video: Una dieta para Francisco; Los grupos Video: El examen físico; La pulmonía
alimenticios Audio: El examen físico; Exposición
Audio: The USDA Food Groups Mi plato; Electronic Workbook
Las dietas especiales; Exposición
Electronic Workbook

Y7420-Chase.indb xi 7/20/18 12:32 PM


xii Scope and Sequence

Chapter 9 Chapter 10
«¿Qué pasó?» Padecimientos e historia médica

COM MU N ICATIO N G OA LS COMMU N I CATI O N GOA LS


Ask What Happened 246 Ask about Current Medical
Give Test Results 255 Conditions 276
Conduct a Pre-surgery Interview 256 Educate a Patient about Cancer 288
Ask What Was Happening 259 Ask about Medical History 291
Educate a Patient about Heart Ask about Symptoms 296
Disease 262 Educate a Patient about Tuberculosis 299
Ask about Surgical History 301
Educate a Patient about Vaccinations 306

VO CA B U L A RY VO CA B U L A RY
Times in the Past 246 Illnesses and the Abbreviated History 276
Pre-surgery 256 Illnesses and Review of Systems 279
Words of Reassurance 257 Infectious and Tropical Diseases 282
Heart Disease 262 Cancer 288
General Symptoms 296
Organs and Glands 303
Some Surgeries and Procedures 304
Vaccinations 306

STRUCTU R E STRUCTU R E
The Preterit of Regular Verbs 246 The Verb Padecer 277
The Preterit of Some Irregular Verbs 251 The Present Perfect Tense 291
The Imperfect Tense 259 Indefinite and Negative Words 294
Ponerse and Vaccinations 307

CU LTU RA L NOTE C U LTU RA L N OTE


Remedios caseros 270 Feeling at Home Somewhere Else 312

COMPAN ION WEBSITE COMPAN ION WEBSITE


Video: Memorias de México; Dolor terrible Video: La colecistitis; La sonografía
Audio: Tiempos pasados; Antes de la Audio: Padecimientos y la historia
cirugía; Palabras tranquilizadoras; abreviada; El cáncer; Exposición
Ejercicio 9.16; Exposición Electronic Workbook
Electronic Workbook

Y7420-Chase.indb xii 7/20/18 12:32 PM


Scope and Sequence xiii

Chapter 11 Chapter 12
Internamientos, odontología y la Maternidad y protección sexual
salud mental

COM MU N ICATIO N G OA LS COMMU N I CATI O N GOA LS


Announce a Hospitalization 322 Confirm a Pregnancy 364
Discuss Activities of Daily Living 324 Teach about Possible Complications 368
Plan a Hospital Discharge 334 Coach a Delivery 369
Teach about Dental Hygiene 336 Promote Safer Sex 376
Conduct a Mental Status Exam 340
Conduct a Neurological Exam 346
Address Addictions 352

VO CA B U L A RY VO CA B U L A RY
Hospital Admission 322 Pregnancy 364
Activities of Daily Living 326 Possible Complications 368
Discharge Planning 335 Delivery 369
The Dentist 336 Sexually Transmitted Diseases 376
Feelings 340
Mental Illnesses and Symptoms 344
Neurological Exam 346
Addictions 352

STRUCTU R E STRUCTU R E
Reflexive Verbs 324 Informal (tú) Commands 372
Se and Unplanned Events 331
The Verbs Dormir and Poder 333
The Verb Sentirse 340

CU LTU RA L NOTE C U LTU RA L N OTE


Los nervios 355 Communication about Sexual
Matters 383

COMPAN ION WEBSITE COMPAN ION WEBSITE


Video: La laparoscopia, Atracción especial: Video: Mi hermano tiene SIDA; Atracción
At the Drop of a Hat especial: What’s My Line—What’s Your
Audio: Ejercicio 11.4; Discharge Planning; Temperature?
Exposición Audio: El embarazo; Ejercicio 12.11; Ejercicio
Electronic Workbook 12.12; Exposición
Electronic Workbook

Y7420-Chase.indb xiii 7/20/18 12:32 PM


This page intentionally left blank
Preface

Effective communication is essential in health care, and communication is most ef-


fective when both parties share a common language. Ideally, patients articulate his-
tory, symptoms, and their understanding of diagnosis and treatment recommenda-
tions. Health care workers clarify this information, teach patients about treatment
options, and obtain informed consent for procedures. In a series of exchanges, the
practitioner and patient negotiate not only a correct understanding of factual infor-
mation, but appreciation for broader issues of roles and expectations as well. This
ideal exchange is often challenged by language and cultural differences.
When the patient and the health care provider do not speak the same language,
the provider must accommodate the patient. Language accommodation increases
health care access for a growing clientele of people with limited English profi-
ciency. Providers who accommodate the patient’s language elicit better information
for diagnosis and treatment and inspire patients to follow recommendations, thus
reducing delays in seeking care, enhancing quality of care, and improving treat-
ment outcomes. When health care providers are able to include family and com-
munity members in communication, patients are more able to make use of these
informal supports.
Language accommodation, also called language-access services, helps to meet
legal requirements and accreditation standards, increases patient satisfaction and
retention, and may decrease malpractice claims. Good practice is the best inocula-
tion against malpractice. The angry patient is the most likely to become litigious.
Efforts to form satisfying relationships and invest in effective communication may
help reduce exposure to costly judicial intervention.
Working in two languages is satisfying to health care givers as well. With more
than a competitive edge in the job market, bilingual health care workers gain the
ability to communicate directly with patients who otherwise would require an in-
terpreter. Of course, qualified medical interpreters are essential for complex com-
munication tasks that are beyond the language ability of the practitioner. However,
in many high-frequency interactions a functionally bilingual professional is able to
conduct specific interviews in the patient’s language without inappropriately rely-
ing on a family member or non-qualified person as interpreter. Nonnative speakers
of a second language develop positive attitudes toward the second language and its
speakers. They learn to appreciate the challenges and accomplishments of their pa-
tients who acquire English as a second language. Bilingual health care workers are
more sensitive to cultural nuances that affect communication, relationship styles,

xv

Y7420-Chase.indb xv 7/20/18 12:32 PM


xvi Preface

and treatment adherence. In addition, studies have shown that bilingualism itself
promotes memory and helps postpone age-related cognitive losses.
United States law requires language accommodation. Title VI of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964 prohibited the exclusion of individuals from federally funded activities
on the basis of race, color, or national origin. Almost ten years later in California,
a group of students of Chinese origin raised its concern that inconsistent access
to English as a Second Language instruction in the San Francisco Unified School
District kept some students from receiving a meaningful education. The United
States Supreme Court addressed this (Lau v. Nichols, January 21, 1974) by clarify-
ing that Title VI prohibited conduct that had a disproportionate effect on limited-
English-proficiency individuals, because such conduct constituted national origin
discrimination.
In the United States, most hospitals and health care providers receive federal
money from at least one source. The Civil Rights Division of the United States De-
partment of Justice enforces laws that require taking reasonable steps to provide
meaningful access for limited-English-proficiency (LEP) individuals. LEP individu-
als do not speak English as their primary language and have a limited ability to
read, write, speak, or understand English. Many LEP persons are in the process of
learning English and have various levels of proficiency. LEP status may be context
specific. That is, an individual may have sufficient English skills to communicate
basic information but not to communicate detailed medical or affective information
in English.
Health care institutions and individual providers are encouraged to identify the
extent to which patients from their service area require language accommodation
services and to make a plan to address these needs. The plan may include training
staff to work effectively with LEP persons, advising patients of the availability of
language services, confirming the language skills and role understanding of inter-
preters and bilingual staff, and providing accurate written translations of important
documents.
The Record of Care requirements of the Joint Commission (JCAHO) require hos-
pitals and other providers to identify and document the patient’s preferred language
for discussing health care. Preferred language is similar to primary language in the
practical matter of assessing the need for language access services. However, the
standard of documenting preferred language refers to the language that the limited-
English-proficiency individual identifies as the language that he or she wants to
use when communicating with his or her health care providers. Preferred language
takes precedence over primary language. Also, when the patient is a child, then the
communication needs of the parents, guardian, or surrogate decision maker must
be determined.
The Human Resources requirements of JCAHO include measuring the profi-
ciency of language interpreters. The requirements of the Provision of Care and Rights
and Responsibilities of the Individual call for organizations to respect the right and
need of patients for effective communication, and require that they provide oral and
written communication appropriate to the patient’s preferred language.

Y7420-Chase.indb xvi 7/20/18 12:32 PM


Preface xvii

In many areas, Latinos suffer disproportionately from preventable diseases, late


prenatal care, and hospitalization for chronic conditions such as childhood asthma
and complications of adult diabetes. Although poverty and lack of insurance can be
factors, studies have identified a relationship between level of English proficiency
and adverse events resulting in physical harm. Adequately addressing an individual
patient’s language and cultural needs will improve patient safety, health outcomes,
and quality of care.
Practitioners and health care organizations can take various steps toward be-
coming linguistically competent and accessible. These include hiring clinically,
linguistically, and culturally competent bilingual staff; employing qualified inter-
preters; and providing materials written in the target language. Bilingual employ-
ees who work in two languages must be carefully screened for their linguistic pro-
ficiency in both languages, rewarded for their important contribution, and given
interpreter and cultural competency training. Qualified interpreter agencies are
useful when proven bilingual staff is not available, and telephone services should
be reserved for emergencies. Professionals who work through interpreters can seek
training to learn to use interpreters more effectively.
Monolingualism can be cured. Taking a course based on An Introduction to
Medical Spanish is a good first step toward acquiring Spanish as a second language
for providers who are committed to relating directly with patients seeking health
services. Subsequent steps include further course work, regular practice with na-
tive speakers, and if possible, an immersion experience in a Spanish-speaking
country or community.

Y7420-Chase.indb xvii 7/20/18 12:32 PM


This page intentionally left blank
Acknowledgments

First, heartfelt thanks to you, the students, professors, institutions, and medical
professionals who use this book to enhance relationships and improve communica-
tion with patients. This book becomes worthwhile when you speak Spanish with
the people you serve.
Thanks to wonderful friends who enrich our lives. Frequently we call upon
minuteman wordsmith José Durán Toribio to propose the best word or phrase in a
pinch. Other friends are medical dialogue experts from a variety of medical special-
ties, including Doctor Jorge Amarante, nutriólogo clínico; Doctor Josephina Rodrí-
guez R., fisiatra; psychiatrist Alexandre Carré, MD; pediatrician Angela Geddis,
MD; and general practitioner William F. Jiménez P. They helped with lexical needs
assessments so that you learn the Spanish for the words and phrases you most fre-
quently use. In addition, these generous physicians quickly responded to our re-
quests for review of many passages. Frank Dlugoleski of DartZ Business Solutions
has been our artist since the first edition appeared in 1998, illustrating language
with graphics. Frank and his wife Brenda are valued friends. Our long-time friend,
musician Karina Jiménez again blessed us with her beautiful voice to record addi-
tions to the audio program.
We are grateful for the many ways in which our Drama improvisado practice
activities have been inspired by the pioneering work of Viola Spolin, by classes
and practice sessions that we have enjoyed with the Sea Tea Comedy Improvisa-
tion Troupe of Hartford, Connecticut, and by fellow student improvisers and daring
Spanish students. These add fun to your classroom experience and promote more
spontaneous thinking and speech.
We send sincere thanks to our development editor, Kris Swanson of Swanson
Editorial Services. Kris expertly nitpicked as needed for precision’s sake and made
sure that we did not skip logical steps in the process of instruction. Kris helped
to create the new Exposición feature, which deepens subject matter engagement
and critical thinking by moving students to the presentational mode of communica-
tion. We are grateful to manuscript editor Deborah Bruce-Hostler, who has been a
valuable asset since the fourth edition. We acknowledge with thanks our team at
Yale University Press, including Sarah Miller, Ash Lago, Ann-Marie Imbornoni, and
Internet gurus Thomas Breen and Travis Kimbel.

xix

Y7420-Chase.indb xix 7/20/18 12:32 PM


xx Acknowledgments

Contemplating the fifth edition, we sent surveys to a group of professors who


had adopted the fourth edition. These professors told us what they liked about the
program and contributed ideas for improvement. Then we sent surveys to a group
of professors who had used other texts, to learn about their needs and particular
situations. After reviewing and synthesizing all responses, we dedicated ourselves
to addressing the linguistic needs and pedagogic preferences of as many classrooms
as possible.
We thank both groups of professor-collaborators for their time in responding
to surveys and for their thoughtfulness in providing constructive feedback. They
include Carmen Tarantino, University of Tampa; Diana Aldrete, Goodwin College;
Kimberly Vázquez, Spalding University; Giuditta Monterosso, MassBay Commu-
nity College; Lois B. Cooper, Berkshire Community College; Dr. Elena M. De Costa,
Carroll University; Joseph McClanahan, Creighton University; Nataly Tcherepashe-
nets, State University of New York at Empire State College; Irena Stefanova, Contra
Costa College; Elena Lattarulo, National University; Juan A. Thomas, Utica College;
Araceli Canalini, Chicago State University; María Cristina Campos Fuentes, De-
Sales University; Cecilia Tenorio, Purdue University; Dana Monsein, Endicott Col-
lege; Mauricio Almonte, Florida Atlantic University; Kathleen Thompson-Casado,
University of Toledo; Angela Helmer, University of South Dakota; Myrta Mathews,
Penn State University; Herman Johnson, Xavier University of Louisiana; Ann Or-
tiz, Campbell University; Robert L. Turner, University of South Dakota; Katie Sin-
clair, North Carolina Central University; an unnamed professor from the Interna-
tional Languages Department of the Dominican University of California; Maryann
Brady, Rivier University; Rafael Pérez, Winston-Salem State University; Margaret A.
Morales, Saint Francis University (Pennsylvania); and M. Virginia Braxs, Washing-
ton University of Saint Louis.

Y7420-Chase.indb xx 7/20/18 12:32 PM


Introduction

An Introduction to Medical Spanish facilitates better communication between


health care providers and the growing Spanish-speaking community in the dias-
pora. It is not a phrase book or a translator. It is a first course in Spanish, progres-
sively merging conversation and a health care lexicon in various medical contexts.
Although it does not call for a prerequisite knowledge of Spanish, this book is also
helpful to people who speak limited Spanish and aspire to apply their Spanish in a
medical setting. Topics include building the patient-practitioner relationship, the
patient’s chief complaint, taking medical history, and defining current symptoms.
We progress to injuries, pharmacotherapy, diet and nutrition, tests and procedures,
diagnoses, and specialized topics such as hospitalizations, dentistry, illnesses, heart
disease, tropical and infectious diseases, neurology, mental health and addictions,
palliative care, maternity, pediatrics, and sexual protection.

New to the Fifth Edition


Prior to this fifth edition, we solicited comments and suggestions from profes-
sors from all over the United States who had adopted the text, and from a group of
professors who had not adopted the text. The feedback led to an expanded lexicon
to support communication about muscles, heart disease, pediatric and neurologic
screening examinations, and emerging tropical and infectious diseases, including
zika. We created new illustrations to support the expanded lexicon.
With regard to the larger lexicon, to make longer vocabulary lists less daunt-
ing, we divided several into Palabras de frecuente uso and Palabras para comple-
tar su léxico. We considered presenting vocabulary outside of semantically related
groups, as some believe this produces learning that is more resistant to interference.
However, we maintained the contextual organization in view of the use of the book
as a vocabulary reference and in view of the benefits to memory of organizing infor-
mation to be memorized. We added a vocabulary recap at the end of each chapter,
and lengthened the audio program to accommodate much of the newer vocabulary.
With regard to structure, we reviewed grammar explanations for clarity, con-
ciseness, and quick integration into medical dialogue. We added the present pro-
gressive tense and the use of direct and indirect object pronouns together.
We created a more robust, interactive, and easier-to-navigate companion web-
site, relocated the video program there, and added an electronic workbook of self-
correcting learning activities. Access to the website is free with the purchase of

xxi

Y7420-Chase.indb xxi 7/20/18 12:32 PM


xxii Introduction

a new book. We updated the audio program on the website to accommodate the
expanded lexicon and to include audio comprehension exercises and samples of
student presentational mode projects. You’ll be able to download helpful graph-
ics such as the skeleton, the pain scale, history-taking forms in Spanish, and the
classroom activity sheets that support survey-taking communicative activities. By
moving the video program to the website, we created room for additional lexicon in
the book and increased the video’s accessibility.
The video consists of twenty-four video clips that are brief enough to enhance
“replay-ability” and not overwhelm the student. Video segments are called La
trama (the plot) and Demostración. La trama is a series of interactions between the
Flores family, Dr. Vargas, and nurse Rosmery. These closely follow the lexicon and
grammar as they develop in the book. Demostración is a segment that demonstrates
a specific communication task in health care. For example, in chapter 4, Rosmery
demonstrates taking telephone numbers.
We clarified Drama improvisado instructions without imposing excessive struc-
ture, and many of these were changed to more closely resemble actual, proven im-
provisation games that are used in theater classes and useful in developing more
spontaneous speech. We put these to the test with our students at Tunxis Commu-
nity College and the University of Saint Joseph, where students enjoyed the creative
play and regarded the exercises as helpful.
We added a presentational mode activity called Exposición, in which students
practice specific linguistic skills by listening to a model reading (found on the
companion website), organizing information presented, and creating an analogous
presentation. This consolidates vocabulary, stimulates subject matter engagement,
promotes critical thinking, enhances student participation, and increases the per-
sistence of new skills.

Pedagogy and Chapter Sections


The crucial precepts of the book are context and communication. Vocabulary
is organized by specific medical themes, and grammar lessons support the goal of
conversing with patients. The message is first, and the student learns correct speech
by using language for a purpose. For this reason, the text is divided into sections that
are named for the practical communication goals, such as “Test a Patient’s Orienta-
tion.” This affirms the student’s goal of learning the functional language that deliv-
ers health care in a patient’s preferred language. Grammar appears in the context of
specific communication tasks. For example, command forms are taught in the con-
text of giving medication instructions. This is a guided, learn-by-doing approach in
which students acquire language while using it in meaningful interaction.

A soccer goal icon identifies a broad communication goal, and heads


a large section of material. This backward design in lesson planning
calls for focus on what students soon will know how to do. With a goal
in mind, we provide nearly 300 learning experiences in the form of
in-class activities that compel students to speak Spanish in the class-

Y7420-Chase.indb xxii 7/20/18 12:32 PM


Introduction xxiii

room, preparing them for the emotional and linguistic challenges of


speaking to native-Spanish-speaking patients. These are organized
under the headings Hacia precisión, referring to mechanical exercises
that promote accurate speech; and Hacia fluidez, which signals inter-
action activities that develop abilities in the interpersonal mode of
communication.

A bicycle icon denotes Ejercicios, or directed activities that usually have


one correct response and are intended to promote accuracy. These are
predominant in the first chapter, where everything may be new to you;
and in the chapter about pharmacy, where accuracy is critical. You’ll find
an Answer Key to the Ejercicios at the end of the book, and we omitted
from the Answer Key those exercises whose responses may vary greatly.

An icon of faces identifies communicative Actividades, which are inter-


active and more open-ended. They call for students to use Spanish to
complete a practical task that is typical to a medical setting. These re-
quire creating with language. The instructor provides coaching and
consultation, and students practice with partners, play roles, and solve
problems.

Two Greek drama masks signal unscripted improvisation activities,


called Drama improvisado. This cross-pollination of theater and lan-
guage acquisition is a hyperextension of the communicative classroom.
Improvisation promotes spontaneous speech and interpersonal com-
munication. During improvisation, you practice the Spanish that you
know, and may clarify your message with gestures as needed. This helps
to keep your thoughts in the target language and transforms the frustra-
tion of being a novice speaker into playful fun. Improvisation exercises
help groups of students to become supportive teams. When you impro-
vise, you climb a scaffold of grammar and vocabulary and speak within a
loosely prescribed social and lexical context. Of all the risks you’ll take
as a novice speaker, improvisation may be the most enjoyable. Improvi-
sation is a fun way to build confidence. Of these exercises, one student
said, “I like the games. You can talk. You can make mistakes. It is fun. In
my English class we just listen.”

The girder icon alerts you to a grammar explanation that is peppered


with language examples. Grammar should be secondary to immersion
and communication, and is a worthwhile shortcut to developing more
accurate speech.
x

Y7420-Chase.indb xxiii 7/20/18 12:32 PM


xxiv Introduction

When acquiring a second language, it is not possible to review too much.


A three-arrow recycling icon appears next to Reciclaje activities that
consolidate learning by showing new uses for previously learned vocab-
ulary and structures. These first appear in chapter 3 and are placed at the
end of each chapter prior to the Exposición feature.

An Exposición feature is new to the fifth edition, and guides you into
the presentational mode of communication. You’ll listen to models and
organize information as you plan to present cases and patient education
content.

Earbuds let you know that the identified exercise, conversation, or vo-
cabulary list is available on the website. You can listen online or down-
load audio files to your smart phone or other personal digital audio
player. The audio program script may be downloaded from the website
as well.

A Cultural Note appears near the end of each chapter. These inform you on
matters of immigration, acculturation, worldviews, diverse customs, communica-
tion styles, and language accommodation to support your development of an even
more culturally competent practice.
The medical information and illustrations included in the text are not in-
tended to diagnose or treat illnesses. Although these dialogues, vignettes, and ex-
ercises are derived from lexical needs assessments and the authors’ experiences
interpreting for and observing diverse practitioners, they are included here for
the sole purpose of teaching language.

Y7420-Chase.indb xxiv 7/20/18 12:32 PM


Chapter 1
«Buenos días, soy médico»

Communication Goals
Greet Your Patient and Introduce
Yourself 2
Ask Your Patient’s Name 17
Describe People 19

Vocabulary Structure
Greetings and Farewells 2 Gender and Number of Nouns and
Professions 11 Definite Articles 6
Countries and Ethnicities 16 Subject Pronouns and the Verb Ser 9
Personal Characteristics 19 Agreement of Adjectives, Nouns, and
Indefinite Articles 21

Cultural Note
Spanish-speakers in the United States 28

Website www.yalebooks.com/medicalspanish
Video Trama: Presentaciones y especialidades; Demostración: Presentaciones
Audio Greetings and Farewells; Professions; Personal Characteristics; Pronunciation
of Vowels; Exposición
Electronic Workbook

Y7420-Chase.indb 1 7/20/18 12:32 PM


B
y the time you finish this book, you will be able to conduct essential medi-
cal interviews in Spanish, including patient registration, history-taking
and physical examinations, common procedures, instructions for diet and
pharmacotherapy, and health education. You will be able to talk about common
illnesses and conditions, tropical diseases, mental health, reproductive care, and
safer sex practices. You will be more aware of some cultural dynamics of the heal-
ing relationship. With practice and experience, you will be able to communicate
effectively in Spanish in your medical setting. By the end of this chapter you will
be able to greet patients in Spanish, introduce yourself by name and profession,
and describe people.

Greet Your Patient and Introduce Yourself


The earbuds
icon signals Diálogo
that you can
listen to this
portion of Dr. Vargas: Buenos días. Soy el doctor Vargas.
text on the
website and
Sr. Flores: Buenos días, doctor. Soy Francisco Flores.
download it as Dr. Vargas: Mucho gusto.
an .mp3 file
Sr. Flores: El gusto es mío. ¿Cómo está usted?
Dr. Vargas: Muy bien, gracias, ¿y usted?
Sr. Flores: Bien, bien, gracias.

Vocabulario: Saludos y despedidas


(Greetings and Farewells)
Hola. Hello.
Buenos días. Good morning.
Buenas tardes. Good afternoon.
Buenas noches. Good evening; good night.

«Mucho gusto».

Y7420-Chase.indb 2 7/20/18 12:32 PM


«Buenos días, soy médico» 3

¿Cómo está usted? How are you? (formal, use with adults)
¿Cómo estás? How are you? (informal, use with children and friends)
Estoy bien, gracias. I am fine, thank you.
Muy bien. Very well.
Me alegro. I’m glad.
¿Y usted? And you?
Estoy mal. I’m ill.
Lo siento. I’m sorry.
De nada. You’re welcome.
Mucho gusto. Pleased to meet you.
Encantado/a. Pleased to meet you.
El gusto es mío. The pleasure is mine.
Igual / Igualmente. Same here.
Adiós. Good-bye.
Hasta luego. See you later.

Preguntas útiles

¿Cómo se llama usted? What is your name?


¿De dónde es usted? Where are you from?

Expresiones útiles

Soy el doctor Vargas. I am doctor Vargas.


Soy la doctora González. I am doctor González.
Me llamo Francisco Flores. My name is Francisco Flores.
Soy de Puerto Rico. I am from Puerto Rico.
Soy puertorriqueño/a. I am Puerto Rican.
Le presento a la doctora García. I introduce you to Doctor García.
Es cardióloga. She is a cardiologist.

HAC IA PR EC ISIÓN
The bicycle signals a
1.1 Ejercicio ____________________________________________________ mechanical exercise,
usually with one correct
answer. Answers to most
ejercicios may be found in
Write two of the above expressions for each of the following lan- the Answer Key at the end
of the book.
guage functions. Include accents and punctuation marks.
A. Greeting ____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

B. Taking leave ________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

Y7420-Chase.indb 3 7/20/18 12:32 PM


4 Chapter 1

C. Introducing oneself __________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

D. Expressing joy/sympathy _____________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

E. Responding to an introduction ________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

1.2 Ejercicio_____________________________________________

In this dialogue, Dr. Vargas greets a patient at his clinic. The rest of the lines are
out of order. Put them in the correct order by numbering them in the spaces pro-
vided. Then with a partner read your finished product to the class.

___1__ Dr. Vargas: Buenos días. Soy el doctor Vargas.


_____ Sr. Flores: Bien, bien, gracias. Doctor, le presento a mi esposa Marisol
García de Flores.
_____ Dr. Vargas: Muy bien, gracias, ¿y usted?
_____ Sr. Flores: El gusto es mío. ¿Cómo está usted?
_____ Dr. Vargas: Encantado.
_____ Dr. Vargas: Soy de Puerto Rico.
_____ Sra. Flores: Igualmente. Usted habla español. ¿De dónde es usted?
_____ Dr. Vargas: Mucho gusto.
_____ Sr. Flores: Buenos días, doctor. Soy Francisco Flores.

HAC IA FLU I DEZ


A faces icon marks an
activity in which students 1.3 Actividad __________________________________________________
work with partners.
Switch roles often
and share your results
with the class when- The instructor will read greetings and farewells to demonstrate
ever prompted by the
instructor.
pronunciation. After group practice, get up and move around the
room, greeting each person. It is customary to shake hands when
you greet someone. When finished, volunteer to act out for the class the best of
your exchanges.
Note that many people consider hola too casual for a first meeting. The letter
“h” is silent in Spanish, as in hola (OH-la) and hospital (os-pi-TAL). There are pro-
nunciation sections at the end of each of the first five chapters, and corresponding
recordings are posted on the website.

Y7420-Chase.indb 4 7/20/18 12:32 PM


Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
And islands that were the Hesperides
Of all my boyish dreams.
And the burden of that old song,
It murmurs and whispers still:
“A boy’s will is the wind’s will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.”

I remember the black wharves and the slips,


And the sea-tides tossing free;
And Spanish sailors with bearded lips,
And the beauty and mystery of the ships,
And the magic of the sea.
And the voice of that wayward song
Is singing and saying still:
“A boy’s will is the wind’s will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.”

I remember the bulwarks by the shore,


And the fort upon the hill;
The sunrise gun, with its hollow roar,
The drum-beat repeated o’er and o’er,
And the bugle wild and shrill.
And the music of that old song
Throbs in my memory still:
“A boy’s will is the wind’s will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.”

I remember the sea-fight far away,


How it thundered o’er the tide!
And the dead captains, as they lay
In their graves, o’erlooking the tranquil bay,
Where they in battle died.
And the sound of that mournful song
Goes through me with a thrill:
“A boy’s will is the wind’s will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.”

I can see the breezy dome of groves,


The shadows of Deering’s Woods;
And the friendships old and the early loves
Come back with a sabbath sound, as of doves
In quiet neighborhoods.
And the verse of that sweet old song,
It flutters and murmurs still:
“A boy’s will is the wind’s will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.”

I remember the gleams and glooms that dart


Across the school-boy’s brain;
The song and the silence in the heart,
That in part are prophecies, and in part
Are longings wild and vain.
And the voice of that fitful song
Sings on, and is never still:
“A boy’s will is the wind’s will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.”

There are things of which I may not speak;


There are dreams that cannot die;
There are thoughts that make the strong heart weak,
And bring a pallor into the cheek,
And a mist before the eye.
And the words of that fatal song
Come over me like a chill:
“A boy’s will is the wind’s will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.”

Strange to me now are the forms I meet


When I visit the dear old town;
But the native air is pure and sweet,
And the trees that o’ershadow each well-known street,
As they balance up and down,
Are singing the beautiful song,
Are sighing and whispering still:
“A boy’s will is the wind’s will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.”

And Deering’s Woods are fresh and fair,


And with joy that is almost pain
My heart goes back to wander there,
And among the dreams of the days that were
I find my lost youth again.
And the strange and beautiful song,
The groves are repeating it still:
“A boy’s will is the wind’s will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.”
SUBLIME SELECTIONS IN POETRY

SONG OF THE MYSTIC


By Abram J. Ryan

I walk down the Valley of Silence—


Down the dim, voiceless valley—alone!
And I hear not the fall of a footstep
Around me, save God’s and my own;
And the hush of my heart is as holy
As hovers where angels have flown!

Long ago was I weary of voices


Whose music my heart could not win;
Long ago was I weary of noises
That fretted my soul with their din;
Long ago was I weary of places
Where I met but the human—and sin.

I walked in the world with the worldly;


I craved what the world never gave;
And I said: “In the world each Ideal,
That shines like a star on life’s wave,
Is wrecked on the shores of the Real,
And sleeps like a dream in a grave.”

And still did I pine for the Perfect,


And still found the False with the True;
I sought ’mid the Human for Heaven,
But caught a mere glimpse of its Blue:
And I wept when the clouds of the Mortal
Veiled even that glimpse from my view.

And I toiled on, heart-tired of the Human,


And I moaned ’mid the mazes of men,
Till I knelt, long ago, at an altar
And I heard a voice call me. Since then
I walk down the Valley of Silence
That lies far beyond mortal ken.

Do you ask what I found in the Valley?


’Tis my Trysting-Place with the Divine.
And I fell at the feet of the Holy,
And above me a voice said: “Be mine.”
And there rose from the depths of my spirit
An echo—“My heart shall be thine.”

Do you ask how I live in the Valley?


I weep—and I dream—and I pray.
But my tears are as sweet as the dew-drops
That fall on the roses in May;
And my prayer, like a perfume from Censers,
Ascendeth to God night and day.

In the hush of the Valley of Silence


I dream all the songs that I sing;
And the music floats down the dim Valley,
Till each finds a word for a wing,
That to hearts, like the Dove of the Deluge,
A message of Peace they may bring.

But far on the deep there are billows


That never shall break on the beach;
And I have heard songs in the Silence
That never shall float into speech;
And I have had dreams in the Valley
Too lofty for language to reach.

And I have seen Thoughts in the Valley—


Ah me! how my spirit was stirred!
And they wear holy veils on their faces,
Their footsteps can scarcely be heard;
They pass through the Valley like Virgins,
Too pure for the touch of a word!

Do you ask me the place of the Valley,


Ye hearts that are harrowed by Care?
It lieth afar between mountains,
And God and His angels are there:
And one is the dark mount of Sorrow,
And one the bright mountain of Prayer.

THE SEA
By Barry Cornwall

The sea! the sea! the open sea!


The blue, the fresh, the ever free!
Without a mark, without a bound,
It runneth the earth’s wide regions round;
It plays with the clouds, it mocks the skies,
Or like a cradled creature lies.

I’m on the sea, I’m on the sea,


I am where I would ever be,
With the blue above and the blue below,
And silence wheresoe’er I go.
If a storm should come and awake the deep,
What matter? I shall ride and sleep.

I love, oh! how I love to ride


On the fierce, foaming, bursting tide,
Where every mad wave drowns the moon,
And whistles aloft its tempest tune,
And tells how goeth the world below,
And why the southwest wind doth blow!

I never was on the dull, tame shore


But I loved the great sea more and more,
And backward flew to her billowy breast,
Like a bird that seeketh her mother’s nest,—
And a mother she was and is to me,
For I was born on the open sea.

The waves were white, and red the morn,


In the noisy hour when I was born;
The whale it whistled, the porpoise rolled,
And the dolphins bared their backs of gold;
And never was heard such an outcry wild,
As welcomed to life the ocean child.

I have lived since then, in calm and strife,


Full fifty summers a rover’s life,
With wealth to spend, and a power to range,
But never have sought or sighed for change,
And death, whenever he comes to me,
Shall come on the wide, unbounded sea!

THE GREAT ADVANCE


By Thomas Walsh

In my heart is the sound of drums


And the sweep of the bugles calling;
The day of the Great Adventure comes,
And the tramp of feet is falling, falling,
Ominous falling, everywhere,
By street and lane, by field and square—
To answer the Voice appealing!

One by one they have put down


The tool, the pen, and the racquet;
One by one they have donned the brown
And the blue, the knapsack and jacket;
With a smile for the friend of a happier day,
With a kiss for the love that would bid them stay—
They are off by the train and packet.

What fate, what star, what sun, what field,


What sea shall know their daring?
Shall the battle reek or the dead calm yield
Their wreaths that are preparing?
Shall they merely stand and wait the call?
Shall they hear it, rush and slay and fall?—
What matter?—their swords are baring!

We stand in the crowds that see them go—


We who are old and weak, unready;
We see the red blood destined to flow
Flushing their cheeks, as with footstep steady
With a tramp and a tramp, they file along,
Our brave, our true, our young, our strong—
And the fever burns us fierce and heady.

With God, then forth, by sea and land,


To your Adventure beyond story,
No Argonaut, no Crusader band
Ere passed with such exceeding glory!
Though ye seek fields both strange and far,
Ye are at home where heroes are!
Such is the prayer we send your star—
We who are weak and old and hoary.

WHEN THE GRASS SHALL COVER ME


By Ina Coolbrith

When the grass shall cover me,


Head to foot where I am lying,—
When not any wind that blows,
Summer-blooms nor winter-snows,
Shall awake me to your sighing:
Close above me as you pass,
You will say, “How kind she was,”
You will say, “How true she was,”
When the grass grows over me.
When the grass shall cover me,
Holden close to earth’s warm bosom,—
While I laugh, or weep, or sing,
Nevermore for anything,
You will find in blade and blossom,
Sweet small voices, odorous,
Tender pleaders in my cause,
That shall speak me as I was—
When the grass grows over me.

When the grass shall cover me!


Ah, beloved, in my sorrow
Very patient, I can wait,
Knowing that, or soon or late,
There will dawn a clearer morrow:
When your heart will moan: “Alas!
Now I know how true she was;
Now I know how dear she was”—
When the grass grows over me!

—Copyright by Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston, Mass., and used


by kind permission of author and publisher.

RIGHTEOUS WRATH
By Henry Van Dyke

There are many kinds of hate, as many kinds of fire;


And some are fierce and fatal with murderous desire;
And some are mean and craven, revengeful, selfish, slow,
They hurt the man that holds them more than they hurt his foe.

And yet there is a hatred that purifies the heart.


The anger of the better against the baser part,
Against the false and wicked, against the tyrant’s sword,
Against the enemies of love, and all that hate the Lord.

O cleansing indignation, O flame of righteous wrath,


Give me a soul to see thee and follow in thy path!
Save me from selfish virtue, arm me for fearless fight,
And give me strength to carry on, a soldier of the Right!

—Outlook.

APOSTROPHE TO THE OCEAN


By Lord Byron

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,


There is rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more,
From these our interviews, in which I steal
From all I may be, or have been before,
To mingle with the universe, and feel
What I can ne’er express, yet cannot all conceal.

Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean, roll!


Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain;
Man marks the earth with ruin,—his control
Stops with the shore: upon the watery plain,
The wrecks are all thy deed, nor doth remain
A shadow of man’s ravage, save his own,
When for a moment, like a drop of rain,
He sinks into thy depths with bubbling groan,
Without a grave, unknell’d, uncoffin’d, and unknown.

TO THE SIERRAS
By J. J. Owen

Ye snow-capped mountains, basking in the sun,


Like fleecy clouds that deck the summer skies,
On you I gaze, when day’s dull task is done,
Till night shuts out your glories from my eyes.

For stormy turmoil, and ambition’s strife,


I find in you a solace and a balm,—
Derive a higher purpose, truer life,
From your pale splendor, passionless and calm.

Mellowed by distance, all your rugged cliffs,


And deep ravines, in graceful outlines lie;
Each giant form in silent grandeur lifts
Its hoary summit to the evening sky.

I reck not of the wealth untold, concealed


Beneath your glorious coronal of snows,
Whose budding treasure yet but scarce revealed,
Shall blossom into trade—a golden rose.

A mighty realm is waking at your feet


To life and beauty, from the lap of Time,
With cities vast, where millions yet shall meet,
And Peace shall reign in majesty sublime.

Rock-ribbed Sierras, with your crests of snow,


A type of manhood, ever strong and true,
Whose heart with golden wealth should ever glow,
Whose thoughts in purity should symbol you.

SUNSET
By Ina Coolbrith

Along yon purple rim of hills,


How bright the sunset glory lies!
Its radiance spans the western skies,
And all the slumbrous valley fills:

Broad shafts of lurid crimson, blent


With lustrous pearl in massed white;
And one great spear of amber light
That flames o’er half the firmament!

Vague, murmurous sounds the breezes bear;


A thousand subtle breaths of balm,
From some far isle of tropic calm,
Are borne upon the tranced air.

And, muffling all its giant-roar,


The restless waste of waters, rolled
To one broad sea of liquid gold,
Goes singing up the shining shore!

SOMETHING TO LOVE
By William Bansman

There are beautiful thoughts in the day-dreams of life,


When youth and ambition join hands for the strife;
There are joys for the gay, which come crowding apace,
And hang out the rainbow of hope for the race;
There are prizes to gain, which ascend as we climb,
But the struggle to win them makes effort sublime.
Each cloud that arises has fingers of gold,
Inviting the timid and nerving the bold;
Each sorrow is tempered with something of sweet,
And the crag, while it frowns, shows a niche for the feet.
There are charms in the verdure which nature has spread,
And the sky shows a glory of stars overhead,
And the zephyrs of summer have voices to woo,
As well as to bear the perfumes from the dew;
There are gushes of transport in dreams of the night,
When memory garners its thoughts of delight,
And the soul seeks its kindred, and noiselessly speaks,
In the smiles and the blushes of health-blooming cheeks.
There are rapturous melodies filling the heart,
With emotions which nothing beside could impart;
And yet, though this cumulous picture may show
The brightest of joys which ambition would know—
Though the heaven it opens is one of surprise,
All gorgeous with hope, and prismatic with dyes,
Satiety follows these transports of bliss,
And the heart asks a lodgment more real than this;
Like the dove, it will wander, and still, like the dove,
Come back, till it rests upon something to love.

OUT IN THE FIELDS WITH GOD


By Elizabeth Barrett Browning

The little cares that fretted me,


I lost them yesterday
Among the fields above the sea,
Among the winds at play,
Among the lowing of the herds,
The rustling of the trees,
Among the singing of the birds,
The humming of the bees.
The foolish fears of what may happen,
I cast them all away
Among the clover-scented grass,
Among the new-mown hay,
Among the husking of the corn
Where drowsy poppies nod,
Where ill thoughts die and good are born,
Out in the fields with God.

BROTHERHOOD
By Edwin Markham

The crest and crowning of all good,


Life’s final star, is Brotherhood;
For it will bring again to Earth
Her long-lost Poesy and Mirth;
Will send new light on every face,
A kingly power upon the race.
And till it come, we men are slaves,
And travel downward to the dust of graves.

Come, clear the way, then, clear the way:


Blind creeds and kings have had their day.
Break the dead branches from the path:
Our hope is in the aftermath—
Our hope is in heroic men,
Star-led to build the world again.
To this Event the ages ran:
Make way for Brotherhood—make way for Man.

—Copyright by Doubleday, Page & Co., New York, and used by


kind permission of author and publisher.

MORNING
By Edward Rowland Sill

I entered once, at break of day,


A chapel, lichen-stained and gray,
Where a congregation dozed and heard
An old monk read from a written Word.
No light through the window-panes could pass,
For shutters were closed on the rich stained glass,
And in a gloom like the nether night,
The monk read on by a taper’s light,
Ghostly with shadows that shrunk and grew
As the dim light flared on aisle and pew;
And the congregation that dozed around
Listened without a stir or sound—
Save one, who rose with wistful face,
And shifted a shutter from its place.
Then light flashed in like a flashing gem—
For dawn had come unknown to them—
And a slender beam, like a lance of gold,
Shot to the crimson curtain-fold,
Over the bended head of him
Who pored and pored by the taper dim;
And I wondered that, under the morning ray,
When night and shadow were scattered away,
The monk should bow his locks of white
By a taper’s feebly flickering light—
Should pore and pore, and never seem
To notice the golden morning beam.

THE PETRIFIED FERN


Anonymous

In a valley, centuries ago,


Grew a little fern leaf, green and slender,
Veining delicate and fibers tender;
Waving when the wind crept down so low.
Rushes tall, and moss, and grass grew ’round it,
Playful sunbeams darted in and found it,
Drops of dew stole in by night, and crown’d it;
But no foot of man e’er trod that way;
Earth was young and keeping holiday.

Monster fishes swam the silent main,


Stately forests waved their giant branches,
Mountains hurled their snowy avalanches,
Mammoth creatures stalked across the plain;
Nature reveled in grand mysteries:
But the little fern was not of these,
Did not number with the hills and trees;
Only grew and waved its wild sweet way,
None ever came to note it day by day.

Earth one time put on a frolic mood,


Heaved the rocks and changed the mighty motion
Of the deep, strong currents of the ocean,
Moved the plain and shook the haughty wood,
Crushed the little fern in soft moist clay,—
Covered it, and hid it safe away.
Oh, the long, long centuries since that day!
Oh, the agony! Oh, life’s bitter cost,
Since that useless little fern was lost!

Useless? Lost? There came a thoughtful man,


Searching Nature’s secrets, far and deep;
From a fissure in a rocky steep
He withdrew a stone, o’er which there ran
Fairy pencilings, a quaint design,
Veinings, leafage, fibers clear and fine!
So, I think God hides some souls away,
Sweetly to surprise us, the last day.

SLEEP
By Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Of all the thoughts of God that are


Borne inward unto souls afar,
Among the Psalmist’s music deep,
Now tell me if that any is
For gift or grace surpassing this,—
“He giveth his beloved sleep”?

What would we give to our beloved?


The hero’s heart, to be unmoved,—
The poet’s star-tuned harp, to sweep,—
The patriot’s voice, to teach and rouse,—
The monarch’s crown, to light the brows?
“He giveth his beloved sleep.”

What do we give to our beloved?


A little faith, all undisproved,—
A little dust to over weep,—
And bitter memories, to make
The whole earth blasted for our sake,
“He giveth his beloved sleep.”

“Sleep soft, beloved!” we sometimes say,


But have no tune to charm away
Sad dreams that through the eyelids creep;
But never doleful dream again
Shall break the happy slumber when
“He giveth his beloved sleep.”

O earth so full of dreary noises!


O men with wailing in your voices!
O delved gold the wailers heap!
O strife, O curse, that o’er it fall!
God strikes a silence through you all,
And “giveth his beloved sleep.”

His dews drop mutely on the hill,


His cloud above it saileth still,
Though on its slope men sow and reap;
More softly than the dew is shed,
Or cloud is floated over head,
“He giveth his beloved sleep.”

For me, my heart, that erst did go


Most like a tired child at a show,
That sees through tears the mummers leap,
Would now its wearied vision close,
Would child-like on His love repose
Who “giveth his beloved sleep.”

LABOR
By Frank Soule
Despise not labor! God did not despise
The handicraft which wrought this gorgeous globe,
That crowned its glories with yon jeweled skies,
And clad the earth in nature’s queenly robe.
He dug the first canal—the river’s bed,
Built the first fountain in the gushing spring,
Wove the first carpet for man’s haughty tread,
The warp and woof of his first covering.
He made the pictures painters imitate,
The statuary’s first grand model made,
Taught human intellect to re-create,
And human ingenuity its trade.
Ere great Daguerre had harnessed up the sun,
Apprenticeship at his new art to serve,
A greater artist greater things had done,
The wondrous pictures of the optic nerve.
There is no deed of honest labor born
That is not Godlike; in the toiling limbs
Howe’er the lazy scoff, the brainless scorn,
God labored first; toil likens us to Him.
Ashamed of work! mechanic, with thy tools,
The tree thy ax cut from its native sod,
And turns to useful things—go tell to fools,
Was fashioned in the factory of God.
Go build your ships, go build your lofty dome,
Your granite temple, that through time endures,
Your humble cot, or that proud pile of Rome,
His arm has toiled there in advance of yours.
He made the flowers your learned florists scan,
And crystallized the atoms of each gem,
Ennobled labor in great nature’s plan,
And made it virtue’s brightest diadem.
Whatever thing is worthy to be had,
Is worthy of the toil by which ’tis won,
Just as the grain by which the field is clad
Pays back the warming labor of the sun.
’Tis not profession that ennobles men,
’Tis not the calling that can e’er degrade,
The trowel is as worthy as the pen,
The pen more mighty than the hero’s blade.
The merchant, with his ledger and his wares,
The lawyer with his cases and his books,
The toiling farmer, with his wheat and tares,
The poet by the shaded streams and nooks,
The man, whate’er his work, wherever done,
If intellect and honor guide his hand,
Is peer to him who greatest state has won,
And rich as any Rothschild of the land.
All mere distinctions based upon pretense,
Are merely laughing themes for manly hearts.
The miner’s cradle claims from men of sense
More honor than the youngling Bonaparte’s.
Let fops and fools the sons of toil deride,
On false pretensions brainless dunces live;
Let carpet heroes strut with parlor pride,
Supreme in all that indolence can give,
But be not like them, and pray envy not
These fancy tom-tit burlesques of mankind,
The witless snobs in idleness who rot,
Hermaphrodite ’twixt vanity and mind.
O son of toil, be proud, look up, arise,
And disregard opinion’s hollow test,
A false society’s decrees despise,
He is most worthy who has labored best.
The scepter is less royal than the hoe,
The sword, beneath whose rule whole nations writhe,
And curse the wearer, while they fear the blow,
Is far less noble than the plow and scythe.
There’s more true honor on one tan-browned hand,
Rough with the honest work of busy men,
Than all the soft-skinned punies of the land,
The nice, white-kiddery of upper ten.
Blow bright the forge—the sturdy anvil ring,
It sings the anthem of king Labor’s courts,
And sweeter sounds the clattering hammers bring,
Than half a thousand thumped piano-fortes.
Fair are the ribbons from the rabbet-plane,
As those which grace my lady’s hat or cape,
Nor does the joiner’s honor blush or wane
Beside the lawyer, with his brief and tape.
Pride thee, mechanic, on thine honest trade,
’Tis nobler than the snob’s much vaunted pelf.
Man’s soulless pride his test of worth has made,
But thine is based on that of God himself.

LINCOLN, THE MAN OF THE PEOPLE


By Edwin Markham

When the Norn-Mother saw the Whirlwind Hour,


Greatening and darkening as it hurried on,
She bent the strenuous Heavens and came down
To make a man to meet the mortal need.
She took the tried clay of the common road—
Clay warm yet with the genial heat of Earth,
Dashed through it all a strain of prophecy;
Then mixed a laughter with the serious stuff.
It was a stuff to wear for centuries,
A man that matched the mountains, and compelled
The stars to look our way and honor us.

The color of the ground was in him, the red earth;


The tang and odor of the primal things—
The rectitude and patience of the rocks;
The gladness of the wind that shakes the corn;
The courage of the bird that dares the sea;
The justice of the rain that loves all leaves;
The pity of the snow that hides all scars;
The loving-kindness of the wayside well;
The tolerance and equity of light
That gives as freely to the shrinking weed

You might also like