HLSC 4623 Human Diseases Group Quiz
1. Medicine has almost always been an area of interest for humans. Although their
medicines rarely functioned effectively, early humans tried to find answers to
some of the most serious diseases. The greatest success was achieved by the
use of plant extracts. Fifty or more of the early remedies continue to be used
today. Which of the medicines from ancient man is best known?
a) Aspirin
b) Digitalis
c) Olive Oil
d) Salt
2. Medicines developed in ancient times were used to combat disease. For
example, Indians tried to find cures to diseases and tuberculosis. What
other problems did the people of India try to address through medicines?
a) Indians helped disease victims die peacefully, giving them lethal doses of
poison.
b) Indians specifically treated diabetes by cutting back on a person’s food
intake and getting them to eat asper.
c) Indians had specific antidotes and highly skilled treatments for bites and
venomous snakes.
d) All of the above.
3. Religion stood in the way of the Chinese gaining vast knowledge of the human
body and left them with elementary medicine. Religion prohibited dissection,
resulting in an inadequate knowledge of body structure and function. Which of
the following things were commonly used as medicines by the ancient Chinese?
a) The Chinese used rhubarb, aconite, sulfur, arsenic, and opium as medicines.
Concoctions of animal organs and excretions were also used.
b) Rhubarb, carrots, and bluegrass were the most common medicines used by
the ancient Chinese.
c) Potatoes, pork steaks, and beef steaks were the most common ancient
Chinese medicines.
d) Because their knowledge was limited, no single item was used often by
ancient Chinese people as the answer to any problem.
4. During the 18th century, physicians came up with theories about the origins of
disease and their causes. Which of the following statements is not true?
a) British physician William Cullen attributed disease to the excess or
deficiency of nervous energy.
b) Physician John Brown taught that disease was caused by weakness or
inadequate stimulation of the organism.
c) British physician Ronald Geebauh believed an organ’s diseases was
caused by a person’s unpure soul. He unsuccessfully tried to treat the soul,
and therefore cure all diseases with a concoction of leaves and herbs.
5. Vaccines became a mainstay of treatment for diseases. Which of the following
statements is not true concerning the discoverers of vaccines?
a) Edward Jenner discovered a vaccine for smallpox in 1796.
b) English bacteriologist Almroth Wright in 1897 developed a vaccine for
typhoid fever.
c) Thomas Mann, an English bacteriologist, developed a vaccine in 1940 for
German measles.
6. Identify 3 forms of alternative medicine currently practiced today. Do any of
these forms have research to back their claims or health benefits?
7. First described by Alois Alzheimer, Alzheimer’s disease affects 4 million people
in the United States. Which of the following statements is true about Alzheimer’s
disease?
a) The cause of the disease has not been discovered.
b) Alzheimer’s patients show nerve cell loss in the brain.
c) There is some belief that a small percentage of Alzheimer’s cases may be
inherited.
d) All of the above are true of Alzheimer’s disease.
e) Only a and b are true of Alzheimer’s disease.
8. Goiter is a disease that affects a particular part of the human body. What part
of the body does the disease enlarge?
a) It enlarges the leg.
b) It enlarges the arm.
c) It enlarges the heart.
d) It enlarges the thyroid gland.
9. Hemophilia is a group of diseases marked by a tendency to bleed rapidly from
even the smallest cut. Blood doesn’t clot properly in a person with hemophilia.
What keeps the person with the most severe case of hemophilia form clotting
quickly enough?
a) Their body lacks skin elasticity.
b) Their body lacks certain blood proteins.
c) Their body lacks Vitamin C.
d) Their body lacks fats that give people the ability to heal. All hemophiliacs
are unusually thin.
10. Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia. It causes severe
headaches, chest pains, congestion, and high fevers. Why is the disease called
Legionnaires’ disease?
a) The disease was discovered in Julius Caesar’s armies. About 25 percent of
Caesar’s legions of soldiers died from it.
b) There was an outbreak of the disease at an American Legion convention in
Philadelphia in 1976. That’s where it was nicknamed.
c) Recognized as a disease more than 500 years ago, it’s uncertain why it was
named Legionnaires’ disease.
11. In the Old and New Testaments, the name leprosy is given to several physical
conditions. Is the leprosy in the Bible the same as present-day leprosy?
a) Yes.
b) No.
12. Scurvy is a disease caused by long periods without Vitamin C. In the 1700s, it
was common among sailors who spent long periods on the water without fresh fruit
and vegetables. Which of the following statements is true about how the British
navy tried to prevent scurvy?
a) The British gave sailors watermelons spiked with liquor. The liquor helped
the watermelons stay fresh for weeks.
b) The British gave sailors lime juice to provide the Vitamin C they required.
c) British sailors came up with their own way of avoiding scurvy. By putting
small cuts in their arms every few days, they learned that their bodies
would generate Vitamin C in the healing process.