Author information from the last article
E-post: petter.gjersvik@medisin.uio.no
Petter Gjersvik er professor emeritus i hudsykdommer ved Universitetet i Oslo, medlem av Gruppe for norsk medisinsk fagspråk og medisinsk redaktør i Tidsskriftet.
Articles by Petter Gjersvik
Sun advice, sun habits and skin cancer
- Petter Gjersvik
24.03.2026:
Some skin cancers can be prevented by limiting time spent in strong sunlight. Far too many people think of sunscreen as the only form of sun protection. In Norway, Easter is associated with holidays in the mountains or southern Europe, plenty of sunshine and a tan. However, as most people are aware...
How language can hinder efforts in health promotion
- Petter Gjersvik
02.03.2026:
An English technical term is not necessarily more precise or accurate than a translation or an alternative term in Norwegian, and it may be difficult for the intended audience to understand. When new technical terms emerge in English, finding a good translation or an appropriate alternative term in...
Two open-access glossaries
- Petter Gjersvik,
- Marit Fjellhaug Been
25.09.2025:
The Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association's glossary has now been revised and supplemented with a glossary of Norwegian translations of English medical terms. We need words to create order in a complex and confusing reality. Doctors need words to convey research findings and clinical...
What happens when we stop doing our own writing?
- Petter Gjersvik
08.09.2025:
When we leave the writing to artificial intelligence and large language models, our thinking suffers. New technology has always had its enthusiastic supporters and its concerned sceptics, as was the case when the printing press was introduced in the 15th century and when the first personal computers...
Histopathologic reassessment of melanoma and other melanocytic skin lesions excised in 2009 and 2018–2019
- Petter Gjersvik,
- Marit B. Veierød,
- Alec Thompson,
- Krzysztof Grzyb,
- Katrine Høeg Liland,
- Nikolay Vazov,
- Ingrid Roscher,
- Assia V. Bassarova
26.10.2022:
The assessment of whether a pigmented skin lesion is benign or malignant is critical for the patient, further follow-up and epidemiological surveillance of cutaneous melanoma (1, 2). Final diagnosis of these lesions is based on histopathological findings, but histopathological diagnosis of pigmented...
More thinking is needed
- Petter Gjersvik
20.10.2022:
Sometimes diagnosis and treatment choices are obvious. More often, curiosity, reasoning and good judgement are required. Diagnoses are made on the basis of the patient's reported symptoms and the doctor's findings in clinical examinations and supplementary investigations. Sometimes the diagnosis...
A British dermatologist tells his story
- Petter Gjersvik
27.06.2022:
Alex Anstey Under the skin A dermatologist's fight to save the NHS, 350 pages. London: Whitefox Publishing Ltd, 2022. Price £9.99 ISBN 978-19-150-3616-2 Not many dermatologists write autobiographies. Alex Anstey is one of the few, and he writes well. Anstey is a former editor-in-chief for the...
The ability to express oneself
- Petter Gjersvik
08.11.2021:
The medical degree programme places too little emphasis on strengthening the students' ability to express themselves. Language is closely associated with thinking and cognitive processes. We need words to understand and communicate our perception of reality. Doctors in all specialties use speech and...