Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. This disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord). One of its most well-known symptoms is a pronounced tremor. It is unusual in people under the age of 60. Famous sufferers of this disease include Michael J. Fox and Muhammad Ali.
2. This disease is a contagious viral disease of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). It used to be known as infantile paralysis in the mistaken belief that it only affected children. One of the most famous sufferers was Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd president of the United States of America, who was confined to a wheelchair as a result.
3. This psychiatric disorder has a name which means "split mind", however, it is not the same thing as "split personality" or multiple personality disorder. It is characterised by a loss of contact with reality and disorganised thinking. Delusions and hallucinations are common signs. The movie "A Beautiful Mind" tells the story of John Nash, a Nobel Prize winning mathematician who suffered from this disorder.
4. This disease is sometimes called Lou Gehrig's disease, after the famous American baseball player. Typically, its symptoms begin with muscle weakness and wasting, progressing to difficulty talking, chewing and swallowing. Eventually the patient is unable to breathe and hence this disease is invariably fatal. Which disease is this?
5. This disease causes destruction of the myelin sheath, a fatty layer that covers some nerve fibres, causing multiple scars which interfere with the transmission of nerve impulses. Symptoms can vary greatly but often include stiff or jerky, uncoordinated movements of the muscles. Richard Pryor's acting career was cut short by this disease.
6. An old-fashioned name for this disease is consumption. It is caused by a bacterium and, although it can affect many parts of the body, most people associate it with the lungs. One of the tell-tale signs is the spitting or coughing up of blood. The Bronte family suffered from this disease.
7. Al Capone had this sexually transmitted disease caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. If untreated, it causes severe damage to the nervous system, resulting in insanity and death. However, it is easily treated with penicillin.
8. This disease is caused by a bacterium and is transmitted via food or water contaminated by the faeces or urine of an infected person. Some people recover from the disease to become carriers. Queen Victoria lost her beloved Prince Albert to this disease, which is also known as enteric fever.
9. This very painful disease is caused by the accumulation of uric acid crystals in the joints. Another name for it is podagra. It has also been known as "the disease of kings" and one of the most famous sufferers was King Henry VIII.
10. In 1979, the World Health Organisation declared that this viral disease had been successfully eradicated. Its most obvious sign was the eruption of large pustules on the skin which often resulted in scarring. It had a high death rate but Queen Elizabeth I was one victim who survived it.
Source: Author
MotherGoose
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crisw before going online.
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