The article presents an analysis of the medical record in the treatise as the fundamental genre of the scientific style of medical works of the XVI century. The authors explore the text of the modern "patient history" genre as a scientific and business substyle presented on paper and in the virtual space which makes it possible to trace the genesis of the "medical history" genre. The authors claim there is a tendency for the increase in structural complexity of the genre and the use of various language tools. The importance of digital codes for the purpose of transmitting information with minimal time costs is noted.