Occasionally, when writing anything – a novel, a report, a biography – you may be drawn into medical subjects’ details of which you may not be familiar with. Without some guidance, you can make mistakes that will make you seem careless or ignorant of your subject.
Here are just a few examples: You are describing a lady who is pregnant and who must make regular visits to her Gynaecologist. This of course is incorrect. She must make regular visits to her Obstetrician.
It is very common for writers to confuse Obstetrics with Gynaecology. The first professional deals with women who are pregnant. The second is usually a surgeon addressing problems in women’s genital-urinary tract. Typically, they deal with problems like ovarian cysts, prolapse of the uterus and female infertility.
Obstetricians on the other hand confine themselves to helping women during their pregnancy and labour. The fact that both kinds of doctors often play both roles and carry postgraduate medical degrees in both Obstetrics and Gynaecology, adds to the confusion. It is how they are engaged at any given time that defines them. However, when writing on such matters it is best to get it correctly.
Example of Doctor Helping Writers
Here is another example. In your novel you are describing a surgical operation taking place in an operating theatre. Unless you have personally worked in this kind of setting you simply will not be able to describe what is going on, who is doing what and how the various doctors and nurses interact with one another. A service provided by medical writing input can easily help you through this maze.
Or another example that I noted only the other day: The writer in a murder mystery is describing the scene of the murder. The victim is sloughed over his desk with a knife sticking out of his back. The author describes it like this:
‘Mary enters Jack’s office having heard the commotion some time before. Jack’s back is to her and he is slouched across his desk, silent and deathly still. A large boning knife handle is protruding from his back just under his left scapular. Blood stains through his white shirt in a thin line down to his belt where it disappears.’
Everything about this scene is written perfectly. The weapon is plunged into the right place where it is sufficient to kill the victim. It is the right sort of knife. So, what is wrong? Did you spot it? Blood flowing down from the knife wound is not correct. A wound like this, where the knife is left in situ, would not bleed in this fashion; would not bleed at all.
You might think that this does not matter but it does. Accuracy in description is what distinguishes a good writer from the mediocre. At Medical Writing Input we can help you to write through situations like this where you may be unsure. We do this quickly and at a cost that you can easily afford.
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Dr. Andrew Rynne – A Professional Medical Writer
Here, on Medical Writing Input, you can find a Dr. Andrew Rynne, he is a retired Irish surgeon, medical practitioner and founder of Clane General Hospital in County Kildare. Rynne was the chairperson of the Irish Family Planning Association and the Republic of Ireland’s first vasectomy specialist. He was known for his liberal approach to birth control.
He is a doctor helping writers and also a professional proof-reader who provides medical writing help to the authors and ensures them the highest level of medical editorial services. Service provided by Dr. Andrew Rynne are medical editing service, medical copywriting service, medical input, scientific input, medical ghost-writing service, input into video and film script service & medical review services.
Thanks for the article!