Journal Gives Prize for Mangled Prose

LONDON-Theres no shortage of obscure prose in the scientific literature, judging from entries to competition organized by The Veterinary Record, which recently announced the winner. He is Martin Gregory of Weybridge, England who submitted a sentence from G.W. Arnold and ML. Dudzinski’s book Ethology of FreeR anging Domestic Animals (ier, 1978) The authors wrote: “That the sense of smell used by these cattle was established because of the marked audible variation in inhalation inte


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He is Martin Gregory of Weybridge, England who submitted a sentence from G.W. Arnold and ML. Dudzinski’s book Ethology of FreeR anging Domestic Animals (ier, 1978) The authors wrote: “That the sense of smell used by these cattle was established because of the marked audible variation in inhalation intensity as the animals grazed.” Gregory’s translation: “We knew the animals used their sense of smell because we heard them sniffing as they grazed.”

A close runner-up was veterinarian J.D. Wilkinson, who submitted a circular that the U.K. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food sent last year to local veterinary inspectors across the country. Entitled “Cancellation of Animal Health Circulars and Circular Letters,” it states “The following Animal Health Circular is canceled. Title of Circular: Cancellation of Animal Health Circulars and Circular Letters. This Animal Health Circular is self-canceling.’

Several entries were disallowed because they were not accompanied by a translation, as ...

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