Using Jargon - Belonging

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Sunday 24 May 2009

Many people use jargon as a declaration of belonging (while related to the idea of excluding others, the focus is more on being included or identified to a particular group). For example, at some hospitals you could find people saying (at least in the quietness of their own minds), I am a doctor and because I am a doctor I am required to sprinkle two to three acronyms in every sentence (eg. MRI, ECG, RW, CT scan, PCA, RBC) or use very descriptive language for terms that could otherwise be more simply explained (I accept that some jargon is necessary to properly describe complex ideas, but much of it is not). The following is from a doctor’s report in the case of R v Millar [2005] NSWCCA 202 (17 June 2005):

    ...the patient had moderate peri-orbital right sided haematoma with extreme tenderness immediately lateral to the right orbit and some infra orbital abrasions. The patient’s face was swollen from the right side of his nose to immediately lateral to the right orbit. Both eyes opened satisfactorily. There was no diplopia. Conjugate gaze was satisfactory. Facial sensation was normal. The patient was tender over the zygoma. 

    The CT showed comminuted fractures affecting the medial wall and floor of the right orbit as well as the nasal bones. There was mild prolapse of infra orbital fat into the superior aspect of the right maxillary sinus and note was made of comminution of the bony canal containing the infra orbital nerve. Secondary opacification of the right- sided paranasal sinuses was noted. 

    Following the examination, arrangements were made for an open reduction and internal fixation of the right orbital and nasal fractures for the following day.

A witness in the case described the same thing in four words: black eye, broken nose.

1 comments :

Georgina said...

LOL (hehe). I do enjoy your blog.

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