Pleonasms, pomposity and plain bad English!

From time to time someone makes us think about the way that doctors speak and write English, both in note taking and in writing for publications. Asher “revelled in the clinical paradox and the unusual; delighted in poking fun at authority and pomposity; a modern Don Quixote.” He opened our eyes to how medical authors are adept at using arcane words and jargon, mixing them in unwieldy sentences and tendentiously wrapping them up in obfuscating verbosity (there I go again!). Asher followed Gowers, Swift, Confucius, and many others who have tried to improve communication by saying less and saying it more simply. Each time these giants have succeeded, however, there is a relentless creep back towards the flatulent use of language that prevents our notes, words, and publications doing what they are meant to do—communicate ideas and concepts clearly. You might well ask what right have I to talk about these things and you might even reach for my flabby CV to prove that I am as bad as anyone. By all means do that—you will find that I am as guilty as the next person but I am the series editor of the commentaries and that at least gives me the right to submit this passage for scrutiny by the editor and reviewers . . . so here goes!