53
Sherwin Nuland
Sherwin Nuland is a retired surgeon who teaches bioethics and the history of medicine at
Yale University. He is the author of The Art of Aging.16 The Mysteries Within,17 The Wisdom
of the Body18 and the acclaimed, best-selling, National Book Award winner, How We Die.19
Nuland practices his craft in much the same manner as Lewis Thomas, but writes books
instead of essays. He has been described as part poet, part philosopher and part physi-
cian. One chapter in The Wisdom of the Body is devoted to the fundamental unit of life, the
cell. The following excerpt describes the cell’s activities: “At any given instant, in any
given cell, millions of molecular interactions are taking place. Were they not noiseless, the
din emanating from the center of a cell’s ceaseless tempest of surveillance, commands,
and determined activity would be painful to the ear of some imaginary creature infi-
nitely small enough to listen to it. The sound made by one of the body’s organs would be
intolerable, and as for a whole man—well he could be heard from the next county.” The
descriptive narrative, thought processes and provocative imagery provided in the writ-
ings of Nuland and Thomas are uncannily similar.
Natalie Angier
Natalie Angier writes about biology for The New York Times. She is also the author of,
among others, The Beauty of the Beastly,20 Woman: An Intimate Geography,21 and her latest,
The Canon.22 The latter delves into physics, chemistry, biology, geology and astronomy. It is
a primer on science that is full of wit and wordplay. Angier writes, “Science is not a body
of facts but a state of mind, noting that researchers typically recognize the provisional
nature of discoveries, revel in skepticism and are spurred by uncertainty.” In an essay
published in The New York Times,23 Angier described metastatic cancer thusly: “They are
barbarians, the colonist cells, co-opting all nutrients in their adopted organ and starving
their normal neighbors of air, sugar and salts, and blocking traffic and clogging conduits,
and finally, when their greed exceeds their easy grab, tearing open surrounding cells and
feasting like cannibals on the meat of their fellows.” Angier has won the Pulitzer Prize,
an American Association for the Advancement of Science journalism award and other
honors. She is truly one of the great science writers of our time.
Final Thoughts
In an article written more than 35 years ago,24 Richard Asher suggested that writers take
note of “The Elephant’s Child,” a Rudyard Kipling poem:
“I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew)
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.”
These six serving men are used to attain most of our knowledge. Remembering who
will read the work and focusing on how to make it plain, simple, accurate, orderly and
complete are the keys to a clear writing style, conducive to providing an easily read and
understood submission. All regulatory professionals should be reminded of these goals
periodically and measured accordingly. Assigning one or more of the books noted herein
as required reading should be considered during the annual employee review process.
References
1. Sherman M and Arentz M. “Regulatory Requirements and Resources.” Regulatory Affairs Focus, July 2000.
2. Taylor RB. The Clinician’s Guide to Medical Writing. Springer, New York, 2005.
3. Strunk W and White EB. The Elements of Style, 4th Ed. Longman, New York, 2000.
4. Williams JM. Style—Toward Clarity and Grace, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1990.
Medical Writers
Sherwin Nuland
Sherwin Nuland is a retired surgeon who teaches bioethics and the history of medicine at
Yale University. He is the author of The Art of Aging.16 The Mysteries Within,17 The Wisdom
of the Body18 and the acclaimed, best-selling, National Book Award winner, How We Die.19
Nuland practices his craft in much the same manner as Lewis Thomas, but writes books
instead of essays. He has been described as part poet, part philosopher and part physi-
cian. One chapter in The Wisdom of the Body is devoted to the fundamental unit of life, the
cell. The following excerpt describes the cell’s activities: “At any given instant, in any
given cell, millions of molecular interactions are taking place. Were they not noiseless, the
din emanating from the center of a cell’s ceaseless tempest of surveillance, commands,
and determined activity would be painful to the ear of some imaginary creature infi-
nitely small enough to listen to it. The sound made by one of the body’s organs would be
intolerable, and as for a whole man—well he could be heard from the next county.” The
descriptive narrative, thought processes and provocative imagery provided in the writ-
ings of Nuland and Thomas are uncannily similar.
Natalie Angier
Natalie Angier writes about biology for The New York Times. She is also the author of,
among others, The Beauty of the Beastly,20 Woman: An Intimate Geography,21 and her latest,
The Canon.22 The latter delves into physics, chemistry, biology, geology and astronomy. It is
a primer on science that is full of wit and wordplay. Angier writes, “Science is not a body
of facts but a state of mind, noting that researchers typically recognize the provisional
nature of discoveries, revel in skepticism and are spurred by uncertainty.” In an essay
published in The New York Times,23 Angier described metastatic cancer thusly: “They are
barbarians, the colonist cells, co-opting all nutrients in their adopted organ and starving
their normal neighbors of air, sugar and salts, and blocking traffic and clogging conduits,
and finally, when their greed exceeds their easy grab, tearing open surrounding cells and
feasting like cannibals on the meat of their fellows.” Angier has won the Pulitzer Prize,
an American Association for the Advancement of Science journalism award and other
honors. She is truly one of the great science writers of our time.
Final Thoughts
In an article written more than 35 years ago,24 Richard Asher suggested that writers take
note of “The Elephant’s Child,” a Rudyard Kipling poem:
“I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew)
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.”
These six serving men are used to attain most of our knowledge. Remembering who
will read the work and focusing on how to make it plain, simple, accurate, orderly and
complete are the keys to a clear writing style, conducive to providing an easily read and
understood submission. All regulatory professionals should be reminded of these goals
periodically and measured accordingly. Assigning one or more of the books noted herein
as required reading should be considered during the annual employee review process.
References
1. Sherman M and Arentz M. “Regulatory Requirements and Resources.” Regulatory Affairs Focus, July 2000.
2. Taylor RB. The Clinician’s Guide to Medical Writing. Springer, New York, 2005.
3. Strunk W and White EB. The Elements of Style, 4th Ed. Longman, New York, 2000.
4. Williams JM. Style—Toward Clarity and Grace, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1990.
Medical Writers