VOA标准英语2010年-US Medical Experts Review Simon Boliva

Simon Bolivar, born in 1783 in Caracas, Venezuela, to sixth-generation Spanish Americans. Nicknamed 'The Liberator¹' , he lead troops to victory in 100 battles.

A group of doctors in the United States is questioning how one of South America's most celebrated² men died. South American liberator Simon Bolivar was thought to have died in 1830 of tuberculosis³.

He was born in 1783 in Caracas, Venezuela, to sixth-generation Spanish Americans. Even on the streets of North America, there is little question of what he became.

Simon Bolivar lead troops to victory in 100 battles.  His nickname is "The Liberator" for freeing six South American countries from Spanish rule.  His sword is presented to heads of state, as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez did in April to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

But some think Simon Bolivar's death was never fully⁴ explained.  His parents died of  tuberculosis.  So when Bolivar developed a chronic⁵ cough, fever and weight loss, the same bacterial⁶ infection was suspected.  He weighed barely 22 kilograms when he passed. Tuberculosis was listed as the cause of death.

But now, almost two centuries later, modern medicine is discovering a new possibility.  This group of doctors meets annually⁷ to challenge medical autopsies⁸ of famous historical figures.  In the past, the doctors studied Florence Nightingale.  Joan of Arc.  Claudius.  First they hear the facts.

Then they hear the patient's condition. Dr. Paul Auwaerter is the director of infectious diseases at the prestigious⁹ Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "He had terrible headaches, the skin darkening, the weight loss, the weakness, the gastrointestinal complaints, the arthritis," he explained.

Dr. Auwaerter says that range of symptoms is not typical of tuberculosis. So, for the past year, he reviewed something no historian ever had:  Bolivar's medical records dating back 10 years before his death in 1830.  He investigated a variety of other causes.   And came to his own conclusion.

Yes, arsenic¹⁰. But not poisioning by political enemies, as in an assassination¹¹.  Instead, Dr. Auwaerter says Bolivar slowly poisoned himself, unintentionally. "Political leaders of their day may have had VIP (Very Important Person) medicine. The best treatment available was arsenic, so that was what people reached for when they had unexplained health problems," Dr. Auwaerter said.

Arsenic was their aspirin¹², their common painkiller¹³. 

Also, Bolivar traveled and battled extensively, in Peru and other mountainous areas where arsenic is a common mineral found in ground water.  Dr. Auwater thinks he consumed it too, simply by drinking the water. 

Dr. John Dove is a retired¹⁴ spinal¹⁵ surgeon and a Bolivar scholar.  He says if doctors then had treated the poisoning, Bolivar might have lived longer. 

"If he'd been able to come back and to gather around him some powerful, like-thinking nation builders, they might have been able to create his ideal of having one Spanish speaking South American country, rather then they all being split up and warring among themselves," Dr. Dove said. "It would have been a different world."

Medical professionals, using modern eyes to peer back into history, viewing Simon Bolivar as if he were their patient today. 

And seeking to change the final line on the life story of El Liberator. 

 

1 liberator   

解放者

参考例句：

• The best integrated turf quality was recorded in Ram I、Midnight、America、Connie、Liberator, which could be adopted in Shanxi. RamI、Midnight、America、Connie、Liberator综合质量表现均衡且分值较高，是山西省推广应用的重点品种。
• It is the story of a new world that became a friend and liberator of the old. 这是一部新世界的发展史，是一部后浪推前浪的历史。

2 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

3 tuberculosis   

n.结核病，肺结核

参考例句：

• People used to go to special health spring to recover from tuberculosis.人们常去温泉疗养胜地治疗肺结核。
• Tuberculosis is a curable disease.肺结核是一种可治愈的病。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

6 bacterial   

a.细菌的

参考例句：

• Bacterial reproduction is accelerated in weightless space. 在失重的空间，细菌繁殖加快了。
• Brain lesions can be caused by bacterial infections. 大脑损伤可能由细菌感染引起。

7 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

8 autopsies   

n.尸体解剖( autopsy的名词复数 )；验尸；现场验证；实地观察

参考例句：

• Autopsies cannot be performed and thus no recent histological examinations have been reported. 不能进行尸体解剖，因此没有新近的组织学检查的报道。 来自辞典例句
• I told you to supervise autopsies, not to set up a lot of fancy rules. 我叫你监督解剖室，不是去制定一些空想的规定。 来自辞典例句

9 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

10 arsenic   

n.砒霜，砷；adj.砷的

参考例句：

• His wife poisoned him with arsenic.他的妻子用砒霜把他毒死了。
• Arsenic is a poison.砒霜是毒药。

11 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

12 aspirin   

n.阿司匹林

参考例句：

• The aspirin seems to quiet the headache.阿司匹林似乎使头痛减轻了。
• She went into a chemist's and bought some aspirin.她进了一家药店，买了些阿司匹林。

13 painkiller   

n.止痛药

参考例句：

• I shall persuade him to take the painkiller.我将说服他把药吃下去。
• The painkiller only provides him a short respite from his pain.止痛药仅仅让他在疼痛中有短暂的疏解。

14 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

15 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。