Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 445, Problems with Drugs and Medical Devices.
This is English as a Second Language podcast episode 445.
I'm your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.
Visit our website at eslpodcom.
Download a learning guide for this episode, an 8-10 page guide that contains all of the vocabulary definitions, sample sentences, additional definitions, cultural notes, comprehension questions and, best of all, a complete transcript of everything we say on this episode.
This episode is called Problems with Drugs and Medical Devices.
It's a conversation between Suzanne and Abdul, using a lot of vocabulary that we might find in a hospital or in a medical situation.
Let's get started.
Don't take that.
I'm reading an article in the newspaper about all of the drugs and medical devices that have been recalled in the past year, and you wouldn't believe how long this list is.
I'm just taking something for my headache.
I'm sure this medicine is fine.
Don't be so sure.
I'm just reading about this drug that was contaminated and, before it was recalled, it caused 13 deaths.
Contaminated drugs are one in a million.
Now can I take my medicine?
Listen to this.
Over 400 people had terrible side effects before this drug was recalled.
And a drug recalled six months ago causes birth defects.
Here's a medical device for people with heart problems that's defective.
And eight people died as a result.
Okay, I've heard enough.
No, wait, there's more.
You've got to see this list of alerts that the government issued, warning people against over-the-counter drugs like the one you're about to take.
You'd better check to see if it's on this list.
Don't be ridiculous.
I've been taking this for months.
If there were something wrong with it, don't you think the pharmaceutical company would have taken out full-page ads in the papers?
I doubt it.
Do you think they want to encourage litigation?
Here, you check it against that list.
If you find it on there, you can say, you've saved my life.
Our dialogue begins with Suzanne telling Abdul, don't take that.
What she is talking about here is a pill that Abdul is about to swallow.
We usually talk about drugs using the verb to take, to take drugs, to take your drugs.
This means to, usually, to swallow a pill.
Suzanne says to Abdul, don't take that.
I'm reading an article in the newspaper about all of the drugs and medical devices that have been recalled in the past year.
Drugs, as you probably know, is just another word for medicine, usually chemical substances that you swallow to make you feel better.
Although drugs can also refer to things that you get, for example, in a shot, when the doctor takes a needle and puts it into your arm or other parts of your body.
Medical devices is a general term referring to a piece of electronics or other equipment that helps you do better in terms of your health.
For example, if you have a bad heart, you may have a pacemaker, which is a small electronic device they put into your body to help your heart.
That's a medical device.
To recall in this case means for a company to say that there is some problem with their drug or some problem with their medical device or whatever they sell, and you need to bring it back to where you bought it and get a new one or get your money back.
These so-called recalls are not too common, but it does happen when a company makes something that they discover later is not safe.
They will do a recall.
They will recall the item.
Recall has a couple of different meanings in English.
Take a look at our learning guide for some additional explanations.
While Suzanne is worried about the drugs and medical devices that have been recalled in the past year.
She says you won't believe how long this list is.
The expression you won't believe is often used when you are telling someone something that you think is surprising.
Abdul, however, says, I'm just taking something for my headache.
I'm sure this medicine is fine.
Medicine, again, is another word for drugs.
Suzanne says, don't be so sure, meaning maybe you are wrong.
To be contaminated means that there is something dirty, something impure or perhaps even poisonous in a food or a drug.
If a drug is contaminated, it could hurt you, even kill you.
Abdul says contaminated drugs are one in a million.
The expression one in a million means very unusual, very rare, uncommon.
Abdul says, now can I take my medicine?
Suzanne says, listen to this.
Over 400 people had terrible side effects before this drug was recalled.
A side effect, two words, is an unintended consequence of something.
That is to say, something that happens, that you didn't mean to happen, especially when we are talking about drugs and medicine.
So, for example, some drugs, when you take them, you become sleepy.
You want to sleep.
Even though the drug isn't designed to make you sleep.
That is one of the side effects, one of the things that happens in addition to what the drug is supposed to do.
Suzanne says, A drug recalled six months ago causes birth defects.
Birth is when you are born, when a little baby comes out of his or her mother.
A defect is something that is wrong, something that is not right with a person or a thing.
Usually, defects are things that we refer to when we are talking about objects or The chair has a defect in it.
One of the legs is too short.
But a birth defect is something that a baby is born with some sort of health problem.
Suzanne says, here's a medical device for people with heart problems that's defective and eight people died as a result or because of the device.
Defective comes from the word defect.
It means with a problem, not working correctly.
Abdul says, okay, I've heard enough.
Meaning, stop telling me this.
Suzanne, of course, says, no, wait, there's more.
There's more information I have to tell you.
You've got to see this list of alerts that the government issued warning people against over-the-counter drugs.
An alert, A-L-E-R-T, is a warning, a notification, an important message, usually about a problem.
A warning is similar to an alert.
The verb is to warn, meaning to tell someone about something bad or dangerous that might happen.
The expression over the counter refers to drugs that are sold in a store without permission from a doctor, without what we would call a prescription, which is when the doctor has to give you specific permission to take a drug.
Some drugs, like, for example, aspirin, do not require a prescription.
They are over-the-counter drugs.
The United States has a lot of over-the-counter drugs and every country is different in terms of the number of over-the-counter drugs you might find.
One doctor from a European country told me that the US has a lot more over-the-counter drugs than other countries, but each country is different.
Suzanne says to Abdul, you'd better check to see if it's on the list.
Abdul says, don't be ridiculous.
I've been taking this for months.
If there were something wrong with it, don't you think the pharmaceutical company would have taken out full page ads in the papers?
A pharmaceutical company is a company that makes drugs, that makes medicine.
Abdul is saying that if there was a problem with the drug he is taking for his headache, The company that makes the drug would have told people by, for example, taking out an advertisement in the newspaper.
Suzanne says, Litigation is legal action, a lawsuit.
When someone does something wrong to you and you try to get money from them.
That would be an example of litigation, something involving the courts and a judge.
Abdul says, here, you check it against that list.
He's asking Suzanne to look and see if the drug he is going to take is on the list.
To check something against something means to look for something on a list to see if it is on the list.
Abdul says, if you find it there, you can say, you've saved my life.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
Don't take that.
I'm reading an article in the newspaper about all of the drugs and medical devices that have been recalled in the past year, and you wouldn't believe how long this list is.
I'm just taking something for my headache.
I'm sure this medicine is fine.
Don't be so sure.
I'm just reading about this drug that was contaminated and, before it was recalled, it caused 13 deaths.
Contaminated drugs are one in a million.
Now can I take my medicine?
Listen to this.
Over 400 people had terrible side effects before this drug was recalled, and a drug recalled six months ago causes birth defects.
Here's a medical device for people with heart problems that's defective and eight people died as a result.
Okay, I've heard enough.
No wait, there's more.
You've got to see this list of alerts that the government issued, warning people against over-the-counter drugs like the one you're about to take.
You'd better check to see if it's on this list.
Don't be ridiculous.
I've been taking this for months.
If there were something wrong with it, don't you think the pharmaceutical company would have taken out full-page ads in the papers?
I doubt it.
Do you think they want to encourage litigation?
Here, you check it against that list.
If you find it on there, you can say you've saved my life.
The script for this episode was written by a one-in-a-million script writer, Dr. Lucy Say.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.
Thank you for listening.
Come back and listen to us next time on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Say, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan.
Copyright 2009 by the Center for Educational Development.
