医学英语教程课文翻译Unit1.pdf

ReadingATheHumancomplexANever–failingSourceofWonderment
(——一个永远不会失去惊叹的话题)

“Inmyview,”wroteThomasJeffersonin1814,“noknowledgecanbemoresatisfactoryto

amanthatofhisownframe,itsparts,theirfunctionsandactions.”Distinguishedthinkers

beforeandsinceJeffersonhaveheldthisbelief,butcuriously,itisnotonethattheaverage

personwholeheartedlyshares.Man’sattitudetowardhisownbody—hissinglemost

preciouspossession—isdecidedlyambivalent.Atoneandthesametimeheis

fascinatedbyitandfearfulofit,partlyinechoofancienttaboos,partlyintheconvictionthat

thebodyistoocomplicatedtounderstand.

(在我看来，“”托马斯杰佛逊于1814年写道：“对人来说，没有什么知识会比了解自身的架构、

部件、功能和作用更能使他满足。”包括杰佛逊在内的杰出思想家均持有这个观点，但有趣的

是，这个观点并不为普罗大众所由衷地接受。人们对自己的身体，这个对他自身来说最为宝

贵的财富，态度其实是充满矛盾的。一方面，人们被肉体的奥妙所深深着迷，另一方面，却

又对其深感敬畏，这在一定程度上与远古的忌禁遥相呼应，也在一定程度上反映了人们确信

肉体过于复杂而难以理解。)

Thepossibleapproachestoastudyofthebodyarelegion.Tothecynic,thebodyisno

morethanatenementofclay;tothepoet,apalaceofthesoul;tothephysician,an

all-too-ailinghulk.Thepsychiatristseesitasahousingforthemindandpersonality.The

geneticistseesitasaperpetuatorofitsownkind.Thebiologistseesitasanorganism

whichcanalterthefutureasaresultoftheexperienceofthepast.
(研究人体的途径可谓纷繁多样。对愤世嫉俗者来说，人体贱为粘土陋室；对吟诗作赋者来

说，人体尊为灵魂的宫殿；对救死扶伤者来说，人体悲为脆弱多病的躯壳。精神病学家视其

为思想和性格的居所。遗传学家当其为自我繁衍的机器。生物学家视其为能借过往的经验来

改变未来的生命体。)

Allthespecializedscientificviewsofthebodyarevalid.All,however,muststartfromthe

samepremise:anawarenessofthebody’sbasicstructureandfunctions—itsanatomyand

physiology.Andthebedrockprincipleofourpresentunderstandingofthebodyisthatall

livingmatteriscomposedofcellsbasicallysimilarinstructureandfunction.
始：那就是对研究人体的基本结构和功能的解剖学和生理学的认识。我们对身体的了解的基

本原则是，所有生物都是由结构和功能基本相似的细胞构成的。）

ASwarmofTinySpecialists
(一帮微缩的专家)

Studiesofthecellwhatitis,whatitdoesandhowitreproducesitself—haverevealedit

tobeafantasticallycomplexworldinitself.Oneofthemajorwondersofthecellisthe

disparitybetweenitsminutenessandtheprodigiousnessofitsactivity.Eachcellissotiny

thatmillionsofthemmaybefoundinahalf-inchcubeofhumanbodytissue.