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	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

To the Editor.—Medical writing should be clear, simple, and unambiguous. In the article on aerosolized surfactant by Dr Anzueto and colleagues,¹ I was distressed to see a new vocabulary formed by the addition of "-ility" to coin new words: transportability, spinnability, comparability, and clearability. In most cases, these shortcuts can be avoided by performing a literature search that will lead to an appropriate word or phrase that already exists. This article contains long words and phrases that may be considered "more scientific" but merely lead to vagueness, ambiguity, or nonsense. For example, "Cohesiveness is the thread-forming ability of mucus under the influence of large amplitude deformation," probably means, "Cohesiveness refers to mucus forming threads when mucus is stretched." This practice is clearly becoming more common in medical writing.

Reviewers should be encouraged to review manuscripts not only for scientific content but also for sound rules and principles of composition. . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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Effects of Aerosolized Surfactant in Patients With Stable Chronic Bronchitis: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial
Antonio Anzueto, Amal Jubran, Jill A. Ohar, Craig A. Piquette, Stephen I. Rennard, Gene Colice, Edward N. Pattishall, Janet Barrett, Melissa Engle, Kenneth A. Perret, and Bruce K. Rubin
JAMA. 1997;278(17):1426-1431.
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