MEDICINE

                      The practice of medicine is based on diagnosis and treatment. A hundred years ago, the physician felt the pulse and came to various conclusions about illnesses.
             He had only a few instruments to diagnose a disease. Within the last hundred years, medical technology developed. Now the physician has sophisticated medical instruments to diagnose diseases.
              X ray machine that was invented in 1895, came into regular use.

            Medical technology continues to develop very rapidly. Today the changes of the body can be observed and measured.      These findings are the key to diagnosing diseases and deciding treatment.

                   The E.C.G machine was invented during the last century. It is used to find how the heart works. The damage caused by a heart attack can be measured on this machine.

                Modern technology is able to support failing organs. Ventilators are used to maintain oxygen levels to assist breathing.

           Sir Alexander Fleming, whose discovery of penicillin led to the discovery of many other antibiotics. The antibiotics help in treating a large range of bacterial infections. 
                                  Modern technology has helped immensely to develop surgery. Now lasers are used in surgery. Kidney stones and gall bladder stones are removed through laser surgery. Laser treatments are used for treating eye diseases too.
      Medical science and technology has developed so much that surgeons transplant organs from one body to another. Kidney transplantation was first attempted in 1902. Today it is a well established operation. Heart transplantation was first performed in South Africa, in 1967. It was done by the surgeon, Christian Barnard.
                                          Immunization programmers are carried out to give protection to children. This has greatly decreased previously common diseases. 

ENCYCLOPAEDIA

 

                        The encyclopaedia has developed from the dictionary in the 18th century. A dictionary is mainly on worlds and their definitions. It provides limited information, for the word defined. Sometimes the definition given in the dictionary may not give enough understanding of the word to the reader. He may not understand the meaning, or significance of the word. He may not understand the broad meaning.
                An encyclopaedia is a complete summary of information. This information can be on all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge.
               An encyclopaedia on the other hand gives a full account on the subject. It gives the most relevant knowledge gathered on that subject. It often includes maps, illustrations, charts. as well as statistics to show relationships.
             The word "encyclopaedia" comes from the classical Greek word meaning, " a general education" The idea of producing an encyclopaedia is very old. The term was first used in 1541.

• Britannica
• wikipedia
• Encarta

MOTHER THERESA

Mother Theresa was internationally respected for her work to relieve the sufferings of the poor, the sick and drying. She began her work of desperately poor of India by bringing persons from the streets into a home, where they could die in peace dignity. She also established an orphanage. Through her untiring efforts she succeeded in forming a congregation of sisters whose work has now spread to five continents.
                                          Mother Theresa was born in Skipje, Albania, on August 27, 19910, and was named Agnes Gonxha Bejaxhini. She left her home at the age of 18 to join the Institute of Blessed Virgin mary in Dublin. She entered the order of the Sister of Our Lady of Loreto when she was 18 years old. She was sent to Calcutta by the Sister of Loreto and she became a Geography teacher in a school in Calcutta. While travelling on a train on September 10, 1946, she heard the cries of some sick and helpless people, which inspired her to help the poor. This experience she described as a “call within a call” to help the desperately poor of India.

The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

The pinnawala Elephant orphanage is in the kegalle District(Sri Lanka). The road that leads to the orphanage is about two kilo metres from Kegalla town, on the Kandy road.

                It was started in 1975. There are baby and adult elephants in the orphanage. They are all rescued elephants. Farmers shoot at elephants when they come to their villages. Sometimes they throw fire brands to scare them away. Some elephants fall into pits, well and water-holes, when come in search of water in the dry season. Some injured elephants fall on the way. They cannot get up because of pain, hunger and thirst. Such elephants are rescued and brought to the orphanage.

Discovery of Antiseptic

                Joseph Lister was born in Upton, Essex, in England in 1827. He was educated at the universities of London and Edinburgh, 1852. In 1856 he became a surgeon in the Edinburgh royal Infirmary or hospital. In 1861 he was appointed surgeon of the Glasgow royal Infirmary in the new surgery unit designed to reduce gangrene and other infections. At that time, it was more dangerous to go to hospitals for surgery. One famous doctor said that it was very dangerous to to go to hospitals for surgery than to be a soldier in a war. This was because many died from infection. Despite his efforts to keep surgical instruments and rooms clean, the mortality rate remained closed to 50 percent.

Speed and Grace of the Cheetah

All children are sure to know about the cheetah. You would know that fastest land animal on Earth with the ability to run at speeds of 112 to 120 km/h (70 to 75 mph), accelerating from 0 to over 100 km/h (62 mph) in just three seconds. The speed and grace of this member of cat family have astonished humans and the sight of a stop us in our tracks.

                             Scientists think that about 10,000-12,000 years ago, at least 99 percent of the world king cheetah population may have died within a short period, resulting in the population getting as low as one pregnant female. The main difference between the king cheetah and the normal spotted cheetah is in the cat pattern. The standard cheetah’s fur coat is usually yellow, tawny or golden in color with a circular spotted pattern of small black markings, 0.75 to 1.5 inches in diameter, distributed fairly evenly across its body. The animal also displays the famous black ‘tear streaks’ down either cheek.

How Cruel the man on earth..?

              According to a wild life magazine, the total number of insects so far is in between one and two million.

               And….about ten thousand new species are identified annually.

     It could take another of that magazine, who is a conservationist, birdwatcher and active and dedicated supporter of wildlife conservation organizations… insects are the most abundant and successful animals on earth.

              Do you know the total number of other species living in this world today…?

                               The same wildlife magazine reveals that also …., But…, the total number of species living in this world today…, is staggering.

             These species are broadly categorized into Mammals, reptiles, Fish, Crustaceans, (shellfish like crabs and lobsters) amphibians, birds, insects and plants.

               Accordingly, there are nearly 4,600 species of mammals, 6400 species of amphibians, 8250 species of reptiles, 9700 species of birds, 26000 species of crustaceans, 20000 species of fish, 310000 species  of plants, and estimated four to six million insects living today.

       The variety of species in the forests of the world tigers, wolves, elephants, serpents, eagles, painted storks, caterpillars, luminous beetles. Insects, plants with leaves that close upon touch and pitches trap insects, was amazing. Don’t you think so…?

                                     The world’s largest mammal is the Blue whale, which can grow over 33 metres, long, and the smallest is the tiny bat from Thailand. Its size is about the size of a bumblebee and weighs just two grams.

                    The highest number of amphibians of any country on the earth is reported from Brazil. That is 751 species.

                           The largest living bird is, without doubt – the Ostrich. That magnificent bird stands a 2.7 metres high and weighs as much a 160 kg.  

                  The smallest bird in the world, is the ‘Hummingbird’ from Cuba, which weighs a mere 1.6 grams.

               However large number of animal species may be, many are under the threat of extinction, owing to poaching of wildlife, over fishing of the oceans, destruction of wildlife habit and climate change. 

          All of which have been brought by the most successful species on this earth-‘The man’. The number of species under threat is alarming..!

                              One fifth (1/5) of the mammalian species, one tenth(1/10) of birds, one third(1/3) of fish, one half(1/2) of plants, are under the threat of extinction, unless… immediate action is taken, to save them.

OUR FOOD

      What we are eat decide how we grow. If you eat good, wholesome, nutritious food you will grow up healthy and strong.

           You must have healthy food that has all the main nutrients. You need carbohydrates like rice, potatoes or bread. There is starch in these types of food. Your body can turn the starch into energy to give you brain power for you work and muscle power for sport.

Proteins are necessary to build strong muscles and firm flesh. These are found mainly in fish, egg, nuts, green vegetables and meat. We also need a smaller amount of fat as in margarine, butter and cooking oil. Calcium in milk builds strong bones and teeth. Iron in spinach and other dark green vegetables is good for our blood.

                The important vitamins, vitamin A, B, C, D and E we find mainly in fresh fruit, vegetables, brown rice, brown bread and fish oil. Vitamins help us fight diseases. They keep our eyes, hair, skin and teeth in good condition.

            Yet vitamins and other important things in food can often be destroyed if the food is boiled or fried too much. Vegetables must be washed carefully. Then they should be cooked only for a very short time. Fruit, again carefully washed with clean water, is best eaten raw.

                             Many people nowadays eat too many sweet things. Biscuits, cakes, sweets, chocolates and ice-cream all contain too much sugar. Sugar is a carbohydrate and some of it can be turned into energy, but too much sugar is ban for your skin, makes your body fat and gives you toothache. If you have too much sugar over a long time, you may even lose all your teeth

Vitamins

• We need vitamins for healthy growth of our body.
• They are best taken by the way of food.
• If you are healthy you are not in need of vitamin tablets or syrups.
• Vitamin preparations are needed only when you are in a vitamin deficiency.
• If you take vitamin tablets unnecessarily there is a risk of overload of vitamins.
• Vitamin overload can cause symptoms like headache, hair-loss and skin rashes.

Michael Faraday

              Michael Faraday was born in Newington in England. He was the son of a blacksmith. During his early years, he worked as an apprentice in bookbinding. He attended lectures given by Sir Humphrey Davy in 1812 and developed interest in science. Later, Faraday sent his study notes to Davy with a request for a job and as are result he started to work as Davy’s assistant at the Royal institution in 1813. A year later, he went with Davy on a European tour from which he gained much experience.