INSTRUCTIONS TO WORK ON THE VIDEO :

In the middle of the 16th century, a talented young anatomist named Andreas Vesalius made a shocking discovery: the most famous human anatomy texts in the world were wrong. They not only failed to account for many details of the human body, they also described the organs of apes and other mammals. While Vesalius knew he was right, announcing these errors would mean challenging Galen of Pergamon– the most renowned physician in medical history. But who was this towering figure? And why did doctors working more than 1,300 years later so revere and fear him? 

Born in 129 CE, Galen left home as a teen to scour the Mediterranean for medical wisdom. He returned home a gifted surgeon with a passion for anatomy and a penchant for showmanship. He gleefully entered public anatomy contests, eager to show up his fellow physicians. In one demonstration, he caused a pig to lose its voice by tying off one of its nerves. In another, he disemboweled a monkey and challenged his colleagues to repair it. When they couldn’t, he did. These grizzly feats won him a position as surgeon to the city’s gladiators. Eventually, he would leave the arena to become the personal physician to four Roman Emperors. 

While his peers debated symptoms and their origins, Galen obsessively studied anatomy. He was convinced that each organ had a specific function. Since the Roman government largely prohibited working with human cadavers, Galen conducted countless dissections of animals instead. Even with this constraint, his exhaustive investigations yielded some remarkably accurate conclusions. 

One of Galen’s most important contributions was the insight that the brain, not the heart, controlled the body. He confirmed this theory by opening the cranium of a living cow. By applying pressure to different parts of the brain, he could link various regions to specific functions. Other experiments allowed him to distinguish sensory from motor nerves, establish that urine was made in the kidneys, and deduce that respiration was controlled by muscles and nerves. 

But these wild experiments also produced extraordinary misconceptions. Galen never realized that blood cycles continuously throughout the body. Instead, he believed the liver constantly produces an endless supply of blood, which gets entirely depleted on its one-way trip to the organs. Galen is also credited with solidifying the popular theory of the Four Humours. Introduced by Hippocrates centuries earlier, this misguided hypothesis attributed most medical problems to an imbalance in four bodily fluids called humours. To correct the balance of these fluids, doctors employed dangerous treatments like bloodletting and purging. Informed by his poor understanding of the circulatory system, Galen was a strong proponent of these treatments, despite their sometimes lethal consequences. 

Unfortunately, Galen’s ego drove him to believe that all his discoveries were of the utmost importance. He penned treatises on everything from anatomy to nutrition to bedside manner, meticulously cataloguing his writings to ensure their preservation. Over the next 13 centuries, Galen’s prolific collection dominated all other schools of medical thought. His texts became the standard works taught to new generations of doctors, who in turn, wrote new essays extolling Galen’s ideas. Even doctors who actually dissected human cadavers would bafflingly repeat Galen’s mistakes, despite seeing clear evidence to the contrary. Meanwhile, the few practitioners bold enough to offer conflicting opinions were either ignored or ridiculed. 

For 1,300 years, Galen’s legacy remained untouchable– until renaissance anatomist Vesalius spoke out against him. As a prominent scientist and lecturer, his authority influenced many young doctors of his time. But even then, it took another hundred years for an accurate description of blood flow to emerge, and two hundred more for the theory of the Four Humours to fade. Hopefully, today we can reap the benefits of Galen’s experiments without attributing equal credence to his less accurate ideas. But perhaps just as valuable is the reminder that science is an ever-evolving process, which should always place evidence above ego. 

According to the video, are these statements true or false?

 

1. Vesalius found the accuracy of the anatomy books shocking.
2. Galen won recognition as a surgeon due to victories in public contests of anatomy
3. Galen made huge progress in his studies of human anatomy due to experiments on human cadavers.

 4. Galen was the responsible for the recognition of the brain as the controller of the human body.

5. Galen gave had perfect understanding of the blood cycle.

6. Doctors were never capable of admitting that Galen made a lot of mistakes.

7. Science should never place ego above evidence.

According to the video, are these statements true or false?

 

1. F
2. T
3. F

4. T

5. F

6. T

7. T

Take a look at the following sentence from the text:

(...) Doctors (...) would bafflingly repeat Galen’s mistakes, despite seeing clear evidence to the contrary. 

 

Can you understand the meaning of despite in the sentence?

Take a look at the explanation below, which will give you some insight into the conjunctions.

 

in spite of / despite / although

In spite of, despite and although are all used to show a contrast but there are differences in the structures used with them.In spite of / despite
After in spite of and despite we use a noun or a pronoun:

-We enjoyed our camping holiday in spite of the rain.

-Despite the pain in his leg he completed the marathon.

-Despite having all the necessary qualifications, they didn’t offer me the job.

Remember that the gerund (‘-ing’ form) is the ‘noun’ form of a verb.The only difference between in spite of and despite is the ‘of’.

Incorrect: Despite of the bad weather, there was a large crowd at the match.

 

We can use in spite of and despite with a subject and verb if we include the expression ‘the fact that’:

-In spite of the fact that he worked very hard, he didn’t manage to pass the exam.

-Despite the fact that he worked very hard, he didn’t manage to pass the exam.

 

Although
After although we use a subject and a verb:

-We enjoyed our camping holiday although it rained every day.

-Although he worked very hard, he didn’t manage to pass the exam.

-The holiday was great although the hotel wasn’t very nice.

 

Even though
Even though is a slightly stronger form of although:

-We decided to buy the house even though we didn’t really have enough money.

-You keep making that stupid noise even though I’ve asked you to stop three times.

Like although, even though is followed by a subject and a verb.

 

Exercise:

Complete the sentences using although or despite.

 

1. ____________________ his sickness he attended the class yesterday.

2. ____________________ he didn't feel well, he went fishing.

3. We arrived at the meeting on time ____________________ heavy traffic.

4. I failed in my chemistry exam ____________________ I studied all night.

5. ____________________all my effort, I couldn't convince my parents to let me go out.

6.____________________ his anger, he apologized to his friend for shouting.

7. Claudia has many friends ____________________ she is very shy.

8. ____________________ I was afraid of dark, I had to walk home alone yesterday night.

9. We finished the race as the first ____________________ many difficulties.

10. ____________________ she can't see well, she prefers to sit in the back.

1. Despite

2. Although

3. despite

4. although

5. Despite

6. Despite

7. although

8. Although

9. despite

10. Although

 

Traduire les phrases suivantes en anglais, issues du texte, puis retrouver ces phrases dans les premiers deux paragraphs du texte en anglais:

1. Ils avaient non seulement échoué à rendre compte de nombreux détails du corps humains, ils decrivaient également des organes de singes et autre mammifère.

2. Il retourna chez lui en chirurgien doué doté d'une passion pour l'anatomie et d'un penchant pour le spectacle.

Essential Grammar in use p 149-150

unit 71 I like music    I hate exams

Which is right?

1 My favorite sport is tennis / the tennis. tennis is right

2 I like this hotel. Rooms / The rooms are are very nice.The room is right

3 Everybody nees friends / the friends.

4 jane doesnt go to parties / the parties.

5 I went shopping this morning. Shops / The shops are very busy.

6 'Where is the milk / milk ?' 'It's in the frige .'

7 I don't like milk / the milk. I never drink it.

8 Do you do any sports? Yes I play football / the football.

9 These days a lot of people use computers / the computeurs.

10 We went down for a swim in the river. Water / The water was very cold.

11 I don't like swimming in cold water / the cold water.

12 Excuse me , can you pass salt / the salt please?

13 I like this town. I like people / the people here.

14 Vegetables / The vegetables are good for you.

15 'Where are children / the children?'  'They're in the garden.'

16 I can't sing this song. I don't know words / the words.

17 I enjoy taking photographs / the photographs. It's my hobby.

18 I must show you photographs / the photographs that I took when I was on holiday.

19 English / The English is used a lot in international business / the international business.

20 Money / The money doesn't always bring happiness / the happiness.

3 friends.

4 parties

5 The shops

6 the milk

7 milk

8 football

9 computers

10 The water

11 cold water

12 the salt

13 the people

14 Vegetables

15 the children

16 the words

17 photographs

18 the photographs

19 English .... international business

20 Money ... happiness

Vocabulary:

(please note that this definitions are according to the context)

Word(s)	Description	Meaning
failed	verb, past simple of to fail	Be unsuccessful in achieving one's goal.
account	verb	consider or regard in a specified way
challenging	Verb, -ing form of challenge	make a rival claim to or threaten someone's hold on (a position)
renowned	adjective	known or talked about by many people; famous
towering	adjective	of great importance or influence
revere	verb	feel deep respect or admiration for
scour	verb	to search a place or thing very carefully in order to try to find something
penchant	noun	a liking for, an enjoyment of, or a habit of doing something
showmanship	noun	the ability to entertain people
gleefully	adverb	in an exuberantly or triumphantly joyful manner
tying off	-ing form of the phrasal verb to tie off	to fasten or hold (something) by tying a knot or bow at its end
disemboweled	Verb, past and past participle of the verb to disembowel	cut open and remove the internal organs of
feats	noun, plural of feat	an achievement that requires great courage, skill, or strength
peers	noun, plural of peer	a person of the same age, status, or ability as another specified person
countless	adjective	too many to be counted; very many
instead	adverb	as an alternative or substitute
constraint	noun	a limitation or restriction
yielded	verb, past and past participle of to yield	produce or generate
remarkably	adverb	in a way that is worthy of attention
insight	noun	a clear, deep, and sometimes  sudden understanding of a complicated problem or situation
deduce	verb	arrive at (a fact or a conclusion) by reasoning; draw as a logical conclusion
misconception	noun	a view or opinion that is incorrect because based on faulty thinking or understanding
liver	noun	a large lobed glandular organ in the abdomen of vertebrates, involved in many metabolic processes
depleted	verb, past and past participle of the verb to deplete	exhaust the abundance
credited	verb, past and past participle of the verb to credit	to praise or approve, especially to recognize achievement
misguided	adjective	having or showing faulty judgement or reasoning
imbalance	noun	lack of proportion or relation between corresponding things
bloodletting	noun	the surgical removal of some of a patient's blood for therapeutic purposes
purging	noun	empty one’s stomach or bowels by inducing vomiting or using laxatives
proponent	noun	a person who supports an idea, plan, or cause
drove him to believe	expression, past of the verb to drive, drive someone to believe in something	made him think
utmost	adjective	most extreme; greatest
penned	verb, past and past participle of to pen	to use a pen to write or draw something with ink
treatises	noun, plural of treatise	a written work dealing formally and systematically with a subject
Bedside manner	noun	the way in which a doctor treats people who are ill, especially showing kind,friendly, and understanding behaviour
prolific	adjective	present in large numbers or quantities; plentiful
in turn	expression	because of that
extolling	verb, -ing form of the verb to extol	praise enthusiastically
bafflingly	adverb	impossible to understand; perplexing
bold	adjective	showing a willingness to take risks; confident and courageous
untouchable	adjective	unable to be matched or rivalled
Spoke out	phrasal verb, past of to speak out	express one's opinions frankly and publicly
prominent	adjective	important; famous
emerge	verb	become apparent or prominent
fade	verb	gradually grow faint and disappear
reap	verb	receive (something, especially something beneficial) as a consequence of one's own or another's actions
credence	noun	Belief in or acceptance of something as true

Peseshet is a doctor and a teacher. The video describes a typical day of her life.

Now it is you turn. Write a text :

- Present yourself.

- Describe your profession.

- Tell what you did to get this job.

- Describe a typical day of your life : what usually happens when you are at work?

 

You can book a one to one class with a teacher who will correct your writing exercise.  One to one classes can be online, with a video call, anytime of the day. 

This gives you full flexibility for your timetable.

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