Medical Writing

Abstract

“A naturalist’s life would a happy one if he
had to observe and never to write”
Charles Darwin
Medical writing is the most challenging and
creative aspect of medical communication.
Possible avenues of expression range from a brief
letter to the editor to case studies, review articles,
research papers, or even textbooks.
Scientific writing is not literary writing.
Literary writing is an art… an art in which style
often means ornamentation, non-grammatical
constructions are often deliberately used for effect,
and multiple meanings are not only accepted, but
encouraged. In scientific writing, style centers not
on ornamentation, but on the smooth transfer of
ideas. The best scientific grammar is the simplest,
and each word must have only one meaning.
Scientific writing is less an art than a craft… not
always an easy craft to learn, but one well within
the capabilities of almost any scientific researcher
[1].