Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jul 1994

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
Open Access
Closed
Topics
multilingual writers voice and style

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Schryer et al. (2005)
    Genre Theory, Health-Care Discourse, and Professional Identity Formation
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication

Cites in this index (4)

  1. Walters (1993)
    Scientific Method and Prose Style in the Early Royal Society
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Connor (1993)
    Medical Text and Historical Context: Research Issues and Methods in History and…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Hagge (1990)
    The First Technical Writer in English: A Challenge to the Hegemony of Chaucer
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. Connor (1987)
    Technical Writing Kits: Their Origins, Functions and Context
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Also cites 13 works outside this index ↓
  1. 10.2307/j.ctt211qxqq
     ↗
  2. 10.1093/jhmas/XXXIII.2.167
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  3. 10.1093/jhmas/49.1.24
     ↗
  4. 10.2190/NETC10
     ↗
  5. 10.7326/0003-4819-92-6-837
     ↗
  6. 10.1017/S0025727300019918
     ↗
  7. Connor J. J. (1994)
    10.33137/pbsc.v32i2.17923
    Papers of the Bibliographical Society of Canada  ↗
  8. Nattress W. (1893)
    Public School Physiology and Temperance
     ↗
  9. 10.3138/9781442676381
     ↗
  10. 10.1093/jhmas/49.1.52
     ↗
  11. 10.1001/jama.1969.03160380071016
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  12. 10.3138/9781487595234
     ↗
  13. 10.1177/108056998805100309
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 4 View in citation network →

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