Rhetorical Analysis of Medical Articles

Introduction 

It is the purpose of this memo to analyze three journal articles and determine if they meet the rhetorical principles of genre, purpose, tone, context, and design. These are the articles I selected for the analysis: “Early history of x-rays" (Assmus, 1995), “CT scan: history, advantages, use nowadays” (Kuzina, 2019), and “History and physical principles of MRI” (Hayden and Nacher, 2016). These journal articles all evaluate how these medical images create highly detailed pictures of the body’s structure. Each medical image has its own unique procedures to precisely capture an image. The articles thoroughly explain how these procedures are done using advanced medical language.  

I will be comparing the organization, design, and techniques used to create these articles, and contrasting them as well. Not only will I be stating the similarities and differences, but I will be talking about the strengths and weaknesses of each article. The rhetorical elements are the most prominent and well utilized in “History and physical principles of MRI” (Hayden and Nacher, 2016). 

Design Characteristics 

“Early history of x-rays" (1995) 

While this article has great contrast with visuals and writing, the layout makes it a bit difficult to continue reading because it is a two-column layout switching from left to right margins with the images. The font and size of the letters are acceptable and readable.  

The headings are inconspicuous due to the color, and font size. There could be more headings to keep the reader's attention and to provide guidance throughout the article. The photos in the article include simple and legible captions but have too long of a citation. 

“CT scan: history, advantages, use nowadays” (2019) 

The font and size are good, but the line spacing should be increased. There is no white space between headings and the paragraphs and between each new paragraph. It is a well-written article, but it is crowded, making it hard to read. According to Tebeaux and Dragga (2018): 

You can incorporate blank space into documents in two key ways: inside the margins and inside the text. Inside the margins, blank space encloses and contains the information, keeping the page or screen from looking crowded and chaotic. Clear and generous margins make your information look organized and coherent. 

The headings in this article are bold, making them noticeable, but they are the same size as the text. However, the headings are descriptive, helping the reader anticipate what the paragraph will be about. With the headings being straightforward terms, readers can figure out exactly what each paragraph is about, making it easier to interpret the article. For example, the header “Objectives” is an obvious, commonly used word that tells exactly what the paragraph is about, “To study the method of CT, areas of its use, advantages over other radiological methods. Familiarize with the peculiarities of the procedure and contraindications” (Kuzina, 2019, para. 2) 

“History and physical principles of MRI” 

This article uses a two-column format with presentable font size. The design of this article uses many visuals with added colors to make certain texts and images stand out. This attracts the attention of the readers.  

The headings in this article are frequent and bold, but the font size is the same as the rest of the text making the headings not prominent. Although the visual aspect of the headings could be improved, the headings are clear as to what the paragraph will be about.  

Sentence Efficacy 

In Assumus’ article about x-rays, the sentences are well-written but do use some medical language some may not understand. For example, “If the air in the tube was exhausted until the first dark space expanded to fill the entire tube and all glows disappeared, then the rays emitted from the cathode could be investigated” (Assmus, 1995, p. 12) Readers who are not knowledgeable about how x-rays work may not know what a cathode is, and the previous paragraphs do not explain what a cathode is.  

Throughout Kuzina’s article, some of the sentences are easily readable for any level of reader, but some sentences are wordy and use highly technical words some may not understand. Using complex words will make the reader become uninterested. In the second paragraph Kuzina states, “to study the method of CT, areas of its use, advantages over other radiological methods. Familiarize with the peculiarities of the procedure and contraindications” (Kuzina, 2019, para. 2). This sentence uses comprehensive words.  

In comparison, Hayden and Nacher’s article thoroughly explains what each broad equation or term means. Although they do use technical words throughout, they make it understandable by using examples and visuals. On page 6, they state what the abbreviation means while including the abbreviation, “The energy difference ∆E set by most laboratory-scale magnetic fields is very small compared to the thermal energy kBT at room temperature, and so the probability of observing a spin in its up or down states 

is very nearly the same” (Hayden and Nacher, 2016, p. 6) 

The sentence structure and formality of this paper is superior to the other articles.  

Conclusion 

Although Assumus and Kuzina appropriately organize and design their articles while stating their purpose, Hayden and Nacher successfully incorporate the rhetorical concepts to make their article more intriguing to read and understand. Hayden and Nacher presented themselves as educated writers and the intended readers are more likely to fully read and decipher the article. Their well-written article is more compelling to readers. “History and physical principles of MRI” is the best article of the three written.  

References 

Assmus, A. (1995). Early history of X rays Beam Line, 25(2), 10-24. 

Dik, A. P. (2019). Ct scan: history, advantages, use nowadays. Forcipe.  

Hayden, M., & Nacher, P. J. (2016). History and physical principles of MRI.