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The Medical Marvel Quiz Answers!

Yes, here are the results to the Medical Marvel Quiz.

If you have come here before taking the quiz we suggest you take the quiz here before reading the answers!

No-one likes a cheat, but I suppose putting a high result on your profile to impress your boss and get promotion is just about allowable!

The correct answers are marked in bold.

1) Which of the following was not included in the original Hippocratic Oath?
To always wash my hands between patients
To never attempt to induce an abortion
To never attempt to operate to remove kidney stones
To teach medicine to the sons of my teacher

There was no direct mention of washing hands between patients in the original Hippocratic Oath that was written in the 4th century BC. Other rules included not indulging in ‘pleasures of love with women or with men, be they free or slaves’ and keeping secret any information the doctor might receive in the course of treating someone.

2) What tree does aspirin come from?
Ash
Beech
Oak
Willow

Aspirin is derived from salicylic acid and it is found naturally in the bark of the white willow tree Salix alba. Salicylic acid has been used for pain relief since 1763, but the modern form acetylsalicylic acid is less bitter and less likely to cause nausea.

3) What condition was the drug Viagra originally developed to treat?
Anxiety
Constipation
High blood pressure and angina
Migraines

Viagra was originally developed to treat high blood pressure and angina. However, the early clinical trials showed it had little effect on the symptoms of angina (pain in the chest caused by impeded blood flow to the heart), but the patients reported a different type of blood flow!

4) What is the recommended maximum daily level of salt intake in grams?
4
6
8
11

The recommended maximum daily salt intake is 6g. A report by the Food Standards Agency in 2004 showed that the average intake was 11g for men and 8.1g for women. Much of the salt in our diets come from processed food and increased salt intake leads to high blood pressure and heart disease. It is thought that there are about 170,000 deaths in England each year due to high blood pressure.

5) Why does the room start to spin when you’ve had too much to drink?
The alcohol affects the density of the fluid in the inner ear
The alcohol causes your brain to swell
The alcohol forces part of your brain to ‘short circuit’
The alcohol restricts the blood flow to the ears

The room starts to spin when the lower density of alcohol causes a ‘light spot’ in your middle ear. This creates an illusion that confuses the system that allows you to have clear vision when you turn you head. Normally there is an eye moving reflex when the balance organs in the inner ear detect a rotation of the head. When you have had ‘one too many,’ the sensor assumes that your head is rotating and your eyes try to compensate. If you are lying on your left side, your eyeballs turn slowly to the right before zooming back to the left and the world spins around you. It’s the opposite way round if you’re lying on your right side.

6) How long does an average, healthy, red blood cell live for?
12 days
24 days
120 days
240 days

The normal life span of a red blood cell is 120 days. There is thought to be about 25 trillion red blood cells in the average adult body and they are formed in bone marrow at a rate of around 2 million per second. Their numbers are kept at a constant level as they are destroyed at a similar rate in the liver and spleen.

7) What is the common name for the vitamin B3?
Niacin
Pyridoxine
Riboflavin
Thiamin

Vitamin B3 is also known as Niacin and deficiency causes a disease called Pellagra that has symptoms of weak muscles, poor appetite, mental confusion and skin blotches. A deficiency of Pyridoxine – vitamin B6 can cause skin disorders, anaemia, kidney stones, depression and vomiting, while a lack of Riboflavin – vitamin B2 can cause severe skin problems and a sensitivity to light and a deficiency of Thiamin – B1 causes heart swelling and leg cramps and Beriberi which can involve paralysis as well as nausea and exhaustion.

8) Where is the patella bone situated?
On the skull
On the arm
On the hip
On the leg

The patella is the rounded bone at the front of the knee joint so it is situated on the leg. People who play team sports will know exactly where it is, as it is very painful to receive a direct hit on it!

9) Which is the least common form of skin cancer?
Basal cell
Melanomas
Squamous

Whilst we seem to hear more about melanomas they are the least common form of skin cancer. However they can be the most dangerous as they can spread to other parts of the body. The cancer starts in the pigment producing cells and can grow into deeper areas of skin. Basal cell and squamous skin cancers are usually caused by excessive exposure to the sun and can usually be eradicated by removal of the affected area of skin.

10) What part of the body does an otolaryngologist specialise in?
Ear, nose and throat
Eyes
Jaw and mouth
Kidneys

An otolaryngologist is an ear, nose and throat expert. The eyes are covered by opthalmologists, opticians and optmetrists, while orthodontists and oral and maxillofacial surgeons deal with the jaw and mouth. Kidneys are looked after by nephrologists.

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