Self-Help Medical Literature in 19th-Century Canada and the Rhetorical Convention of Plain Language

Jennifer J. Connor McMaster University

Abstract

In earlier centuries, authors of medical works intended for popular readers defended their use of the vernacular against potential criticism from their learned colleagues. Scholars have shown that by the sixteenth to seventeenth centuries such defence reflected rhetorical posturing more than political reality. This article examines self-help medical literature in 19th-century Canada, revealing that authors adopted a similar stance in writing for the public. Not only did this rhetorical convention continue, but it also did not assure adoption of the plain style advocated. Moreover, a comparison of their style with that of medical textbook authors reveals few real differences.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
1994-07-01
DOI
10.2190/6v88-64fg-rp2c-h9mg
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Cited by in this index (2)

  1. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  2. Journal of Business and Technical Communication

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