Lesson Plan: “The First Successful Transplant of a Pig’s Heart into a Human Being”
II. While Reading Activities
Word Inference
- prognosis |präɡˈnōsəs| noun (plural prognoses |-ˌsēz| ) the likely course of a disease or ailment: the disease has a poor prognosis.
- genetically modified |jəˌnedik(ə)lē ˈmädəfīd| (abbreviation GM) adjective(of an organism or crop) containing genetic material that has been artificially altered so as to produce a desired characteristic: genetically modified viruses to insert new genes into growing plants.
- transplant noun |ˈtran(t)splant| an operation in which an organ or tissue is transplanted: a heart transplant | kidneys available for transplant.
- brain-dead |ˈbrānˌded| adjective having suffered brain death: brain-dead patients.
- watershed |ˈwôdərˌSHedˈwädərˌSHed| noun an event or period marking a turning point in a course of action or state of affairs: these works mark a watershed in the history of music.
- hurdle |ˈhərdl| noun an obstacle or difficulty: there are many hurdles to overcome.
- monitored |ˈmänədər| verb [with object] observe and check the progress or quality of (something) over a period of time; keep under systematic review: equipment was installed to monitor air quality.
- broach verb [with object] 1 raise (a sensitive or difficult subject) for discussion: he broached the subject he had been avoiding all evening.
- primate |ˈprīˌmāt| noun Zoology a mammal of an order that includes the lemurs, bushbabies, tarsiers, marmosets, monkeys, apes, and humans. They are distinguished by having hands, handlike feet, and forward-facing eyes, and, with the exception of humans, are typically agile tree-dwellers.
- flummoxed |ˈfləməkst| adjective bewildered or perplexed: he became flummoxed and speechless.
Source: New Oxford American Dictionary
Grammar Focus: Word -Recognition
Mr. Bennett decided to gamble on the experimental treatment because he would have died without a new heart, had exhausted other treatments and was too sick to qualify for a human donor heart, family members and doctors said.
Reading Comprehension: Identify The Speakers
- Dr. Bartley Griffith, the director of the cardiac transplant program at the medical center, who performed the operation. “It creates the pulse, it creates the pressure, it is his heart.”
- Dr. David Klassen, the chief medical officer of the United Network for Organ Sharing.“This is a watershed event.”
- Mr. Bennett, transplant patient. “It was either die or do this transplant.”
- Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin, a professor of surgery at University of Maryland School of Medicine. In the past, pig hearts have been transplanted successfully into baboons by this doctor.
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