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What is an alternative expression to "this"? As in:

Medicine is very important. This can be ascertained from the fact that...

I'm looking for a "synonym".

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In this case, you can probably just use "Medicine is very important, as can be ascertained from the fact that..." However, depending on how long the part after the ... is, it may be unwieldy. – Nathan G. Feb 24 '11 at 23:24
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If it appeals to you, skip the synonym and let the context work for you. "Medicine is very important. Consider the fact that..." – Fixee Feb 25 '11 at 1:44

3 Answers

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There do exist alternatives:

Medicine is very important. Such can be ascertained from the fact that...

Medicine is very important. As much can be ascertained from the fact that...

Medicine is very important. That be ascertained from the fact that...

Medicine is very important. So obvious a conclusion can be ascertained from the fact that...

And so on. Be creative, don't let yourself be boxed in by a single word.

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I wasn't looking for a single word, that's why I asked for an alternative expression. I like such. Thanks. – John Assymptoth Feb 25 '11 at 7:31
I don't think any of these alternatives is any clearer than a simple "this", and #4 is pretentiously verbose. – David Rivers Feb 26 '11 at 18:21
@David Rivers: I agree. The point, as I see it, is what does one do when one gets tired of using the demonstrative pronoun? And I might point out that by labeling these possible constructions alternative I was not implying that they were better. – Robusto Feb 26 '11 at 20:08
One thing about purely “function” words is that they usually don’t have synonyms the way noun and verbs, or adjectives and adverbs, do. Look back at the previous sentence and notice which words are irreplaceable. – tchrist Feb 21 at 5:26
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Oh dear, I don't think there exists any word close enough to be considered a synonym. The closest words would be "that" and "it", but they do not fit in with the rest of your example very well. I can think of a few ways to rephrase your example:

Medicine is very important, which can be ascertained from...

Medicine is very important. The fact that ... proves its importance.

Why exactly do you want to do away with this "this"? It looks fine in your example. A bit more context (purpose?) might get you better suggestions. Is this a real sentence, or just an example?

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I'm already using "This" in nearby sentences, that's why I wanted to vary. :) I like your suggestions. Thanks. – John Assymptoth Feb 25 '11 at 7:32
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The most succinct way that I can conjure to rephrase your connected pair of statements would convert the second statement into a dependent clause of the first. E.g.:

Medicine is very important, as proved by...

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..Good answer.. – John Assymptoth Feb 27 '11 at 7:46

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