MAKING A CASE FOR MORE CASE REPORTS

A case report is a form of medical communication. It is arguably the oldest and basic type of scientific publication,1 dating from 17th century 2 and has since become a key element of medical literature.3 Several definitions have been used to describe this genre, but a very encompassing definition by Carey states that: "A case report is the publication in the medical scientific literature of a single clinical observation whose principal purpose is to generate hypotheses regarding human disease or provide insight into clinical practice".