addendum

Addendum is a term derived from addendum, a Latin word that refers to what must be added. The notion of addendum, in this way, refers to the appendix from a book or any other added that is done to a text.

The addendum is intended to develop or expand the content already presented. It is usually used in professional documents, contracts Y manuals, among other kinds of publications.

Let us take the case of a book where the author analyzes the political situation of a country. Over the years, certain events occur that derive from what the writer said. In this way, through an addendum, the author can add some comment about it in the new editions of the book.

Sometimes the addendum serves to correct information, without the need to rewrite the material or reprint the entire work. Suppose in a book it is mentioned that a musician was born in 1806 but then, through the discovery of a document, it is discovered that the artist was actually born in 1801. With an addendum, the author of the book is in a position to clarify the correct date.

It is important to establish that, within the scope of the books, the addendum can take on different appearances. By this we mean that not only can it be presented as another text document but it can also be presented in CD, DVD format ...

If we focus on a manual, the main body of the document can explain certain tasks in few steps. Those who cannot understand the process, can resort to an addendum where the actions are developed more extensively. This organization of the material facilitates the reading of those who do not need so much detail and, in turn, allows the rest of the readers to incorporate more knowledge.

Within what can be a contract of any type, an addendum can also be included when the parties reach an agreement to expand, qualify or change any substantial part of it. In it, they can be modified from prices to dates, passing through certain specific conditions in question.

Addenda can also be found in the medical field. In this case, the usual thing is that they are used for the doctor in question to enter a series of important data related to the patient.

In the legal field, specifically in trials, addenda can be made to sentences. Most often, these come to serve so that the jury, based on investigations or very specific data obtained, proceed to explain in a specific way the decision it has made regarding the innocence or guilt of the accused.

Precisely in this sense, one of the best known addenda is the one made by the jury in the case of Harold Greenwood, who was accused of murdering his wife with arsenic in 1919. He was declared innocent, but in the aforementioned explanation that was added to the sentence made it clear that the jury was convinced that the poison had been administered to the woman, but could not prove that the amount she ingested was responsible for her death.