Eponyms in histology and histochemistry: do they still serve a purpose, or should they be abandoned in favor of standard non-eponymous terminology?
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Chemistry↗
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The man behind the eponym. Angioendotheliomatosis proliferans systemisata (Tappeiner-Pfleger disease). A short description of the disease and biographical notes on the eponyms.
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Austria↗
Eponym: the name's the same: the eponyms of Sir Jonathan Hutchinson.
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Dermatology↗
Neurological eponyms--who gets the credit? Essay review.
The recent publication of Neurological Eponyms by Peter Koehler and colleagues has revived the interest in neurological eponyms and raised important questions about their use. Many investigators have contributed to the body of knowledge that defines the specialty of neurology. We honor them by associating their names with neurological diseases. The history of neurological eponyms provides us with an opportunity to reexamine the important question of who gets the credit. Additional issues have surfaced including why certain eponyms tend to stick in the literature and others disappear, as well as the important realization that lengthy modern descriptions may require name eponyms for simplification. Eponyms can be confusing as to whether they refer to a disease or a syndrome and this confusion can impact the diagnosis and treatment of patients. There is an inevitable evolution of certain eponyms as our understanding of entities expands. This paper provides an overview of neurological eponyms with the explanation of the potential reasons why names were associated with neurological diseases. These included first case reports, relating isolated cases, years of observation, defining neuroanatomy, physician sufferer, new physical examination maneuvers, academic climate, the advent of a new procedure, fame, and competition amongst investigators. Important issues have surfaced regarding sharing credit amongst investigators, name priority, crediting the wrong investigator, and lack of a defined system to award credit. Since eponym use is based on a peer dependent system, each neurologist must make a more critical appraisal of who gets the credit and understand the differences between diseases and syndromes in order to better preserve neurological history.
Eponyms↗
Declining use of the eponym "Reiter's syndrome" in the medical literature, 1998-2003.
The German physician Hans Reiter (1881-1969) is associated eponymously with the syndrome of arthritis, urethritis, and conjunctivitis occurring during or after episodes of diarrhea or urethritis. During World War II, Reiter, a physician leader of the Nazi party, authorized medical experiments on concentration camp prisoners. Because of this, some physicians have argued against further use of the Reiter eponym. We investigated trends in use of the Reiter eponym from 1998 to 2003. We searched MEDLINE to identify English-language articles published between 1998 and 2003. Articles were classified by whether the eponym was used without qualification (ie, without mentioning its disfavored use) or not. Five hundred thirty-nine articles were identified. Use of the eponym without qualification was less common in articles published later (34.0% in 2003 vs 57.0% in 1998; adjusted relative risk [RR], 0.49, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.27-0.71; P = .001) and in articles published in higher impact journals (36.8% vs 56.8% in journals without calculated impact factors; adjusted RR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.29-0.73; P = .002). Use without qualification was more common in articles written by US-based authors (60.6% vs 31.1% for European-based authors; adjusted RR, 2.28; 95% CI, 1.58-2.97; P < .001). We concluded that use of the Reiter eponym without qualification decreased from 1998 to 2003.
Arthritis, Reactive↗
The use of and familiarity with neurological eponyms at the close of the 20th century by Dutch neurologists. An inventory.
In order to get an impression on the opinion of the use of neurological eponyms we sent questionnaires on 205 eponyms to 850 members of the Netherlands Association for Neurology. The responses by 256 (30%) were analyzed. A positive correlation was found between age and the knowledge of eponyms. The best known eponyms belong to category II (tests and manoeuvres). Surprisingly, many of the responding colleagues did not prefer descriptive terms to eponyms: 57% of the eponyms were preferred by more than 50% of the respondents.
Adult↗
Eponyms in radiology of the digestive tract: historical perspectives and imaging appearances. Part I. Pharynx, esophagus, stomach, and intestine.
Eponyms serve as a means of honoring individuals who have made important discoveries and observations. Eponyms are frequently encountered in the field of radiology, particularly in radiology of the digestive tract. However, the use of eponyms may fail to convey a precise meaning or definition and could lead to miscommunication. Moreover, in some instances, more than one individual may have contributed to the discovery or description of a particular anatomic structure or disease, whereas in others, an eponym may have been incorrectly applied initially and propagated for years in the medical literature. Nevertheless, radiologic eponyms are a means of honoring those who have made lasting contributions to the field of radiology, and familiarity with these eponyms is important for proper reporting and accurate communication. In addition, the acquisition of some historical knowledge about those whose names are associated with various structures or pathologic conditions brings some humanity back into the science of medicine.
Eponyms↗
Reflections on eponyms in neuroscience terminology.
Eponyms have played a very significant linguistic role in technical and scientific terminology. They are an important feature of language that have contributed for a long time to engraving in history the names of those researchers who have devoted their lives to scientific discovery. In the field of medical terminology, they are an asset, although their semantic effectiveness has constituted a long-standing debate. We will analyze how language contributes to the advance of science and technology and the current position of eponyms in the health sciences. Eponymy in neuroscience has been used for a long time as a way to identify and recognize scientific issues, such as diseases, syndromes, methods, processes, substances, organs, and parts of organs as a way to honor those who, in a certain way, contributed to the progress of science. However, sometimes those honors do not correspond to the real contributors, thus receiving a nondeserved acknowledgment. Another problem with eponymic references is the lack of information about the matter in hand, because eponyms do not provide any clear information leading to the identification of the situation under study, as they are not reasonably descriptive. The aim of this article is to encourage the use of descriptive terms instead of eponyms and to establish a system of scientific nomenclature to consolidate the use of the language as a means of conveying scientific information among experts.
Communication↗
Eponyms in radiology of the digestive tract: historical perspectives and imaging appearances. Part 2. Liver, biliary system, pancreas, peritoneum, and systemic disease.
Eponyms are a means of honoring individuals who have made lasting contributions to medicine. Eponyms are frequently encountered in the field of radiology, especially radiology of the digestive tract. However, the use of eponyms may fail to convey a precise meaning or definition and could result in miscommunication. Furthermore, in some instances, more than one individual may have contributed to the discovery or description of a particular structure or disease, whereas in others, an eponym may have been incorrectly applied and then propagated for years thereafter in the medical literature. Still, eponyms are a means of honoring those who have made important discoveries and observations, and familiarity with these terms is important for proper reporting and accurate communication. Moreover, the acquisition of some historical knowledge about the individuals whose names are associated with various structures or diseases helps restore some humanity to the science of medicine.
Digestive System↗
["I x-ray, you x-ray..." A comparative study of eponymous verbs on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the discovery of roentgen rays].
Eponyms are derived from the name of a person. Eponymic verbs are rare compared to eponymic nouns and adjectives. The German Duden dictionary lists eponymic derivatives from the following persons: Amerigo (Vespucci), Bal(1)horn, Beckmesser, Boycott, Faraday, Galvani, Guillotin, Lumbeck, Lynch, Mendel, Morse, Pasteur und Roentgen. Only the verb "to roentgen" is formally identical to the name Roentgen. A computerized analysis of a newspaper that represents standard German (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung from January 1, 1993 through March 7, 1995) proves that "to roentgen" (19x) ranges five in frequency of eponymic verbs of contemporary German-behind to boycott (363x), to ballhornize (33x), to lynch (30x), to americanize (29x).
Eponyms↗
[Epilepsy, eponyms and patron saints (history of Western civilization)].
From a historic point of view, epilepsy and its eponyms were in an ontogenetic symbiosis throughout their history. Epilepsy is a disease with a history of eponyms presenting the frame of mind of both streetwise as well as skilled "authors" about its origin and nature. From ancient times the names for epilepsy, archetypal Hippocratic disease, just as rich in number as varied in their implication, reflected the local folkways of thinking. In this article we briefly presented more than 50 eponyms and patrons of epilepsy. As the source of information we used both the apocryphal, canonical and hagiographic as well as heretic literature, legends and iconography from the Middle Ages of domestic and foreign origin. Pre- and post-Hippocratic era, apart from stemming from the oldest written medical sources, point to the position that the disease had organic origin located in the brain. The period of Rome adopted the attitudes set by Galen which remained en vogue throughout the emerging Middle Ages and Renaissance. These eras generated new eponyms which reflected a downfall in the manor, stating that the disease is the consequence of supernatural forces. In the "Age of darkness" eponyms for epilepsy reflected more the relation of men to the Nature than to the disease or a sick man; this is evidenced through the generation of number of patrons for the disease. The most famous patron of patients with epilepsy was St. Valentine (after conversion from pagandom he died in Rome as a martyr, c. 270). He was allotted a patronage either due to the phonic resemblance of his name with the (past participle of the) verb "fallen"-as Martin Luther claimed, or due to a cure of epilepsy of the son of a Roman rhetor who built for him a chapel in which he continued to cure the sick. The emergence of a flamboyant personality of Paracelsus on the historic scene of the XVI century represents a less successful attempt to revoke the way of thinking set by the old Greek doctors; however, it brought about the precipitous decay of attitudes that started with Romans and inaugurated the way of thinking characteristic of Renaissance and the ages thereafter. Serbian literature of the Middle Age was strongly impacted by influences that fanned from Italy (Salerno) and south France (Montpellier), reflecting the attitudes of medical schools and universities prevailing at that time Europe. The name [symbol: see text] from Hilandar Medical Codex No 517 (XV-XVI century) is obviously taken from Byzantine medicine, which was founded on the works of Hippocrates, Galen and Dioscurides. It came down to us through the Serbian folk Byzantine codices named "latrosophia of Hilandar", preserved mostly from the author Michail Pselos (XI century). On the other hand, the name [symbol: see text] or morbus magnus, reflects its Roman origin. The name [symbol: see text] meaning fainting, loss of consciousness or syncope, stems from the same source. The name [symbol: see text] designated epileptic disease in Serbian monks, monasteries probably being the only niche where epileptics could find refuge. Children's epilepsy or convulsions are expressed as [symbol: see text] No mention is found of epileptic status except for the notion [symbol: see text] meaning "to be without consciousness for a longer period of time'; it does not, however, refer directly to epilepsy or convulsions. It is worthy noting that already in the XIV century Serbs had their medical literature translated to their own language, and were the only one of all Slavic peoples that did so. Nevertheless, both apocryphal and canonical, as well as consecrated medicine were based on magic, astrology and occultism. The magic formulas used in Middle Age Serbia for the cure of epileptics as well as sick in general, were basically irrational; still, as a trace of its descension they contained unintelligible words of the eastern origin (Greek, Persian or Jewish). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)
Epilepsy↗
Beyond Wernicke's: a lexicon of eponyms in psychiatry.
Because no one has ever composed a glossary of psychiatry's numerous eponyms, the author collected eponymous signs and syndromes for a behavioral lexicon. Eponyms are included if they recall a real person, if they have special relevance to psychiatry, and if they describe an abnormal symptom or syndrome that we consider clinically important today, even if American physicians no longer favor the eponym. The author used MEDLINE and Campbell's Psychiatric Dictionary to locate candidates for the glossary. A brief definition and suggested reference accompany each entry.
Aphasia, Wernicke↗
Eponyms and the diagnosis of aortic regurgitation: what says the evidence?
BACKGROUND: Chronic aortic regurgitation can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. For more than a century, numerous eponymous signs of aortic regurgitation have been described in textbooks and the literature. PURPOSE: To compare current textbook content with the peer-reviewed literature on the eponymous signs of aortic regurgitation and to assess the role of these signs in clinical practice. DATA SOURCES: 11 textbooks, MEDLINE (1966 through October 2002), and bibliographies of textbooks and relevant papers. STUDY SELECTION: English-language reports that were related to the properties of a sign on physical examination, incorporated more than 10 adults, and did not involve prosthetic heart valves or acute aortic regurgitation. DATA EXTRACTION: Three investigators independently analyzed relevant textbook extracts and 27 reports, using predetermined qualitative review criteria. Data relating to diagnostic accuracy and properties of the index test were also extracted. DATA SYNTHESIS: Twelve eponymous signs were described as having varying degrees of importance by textbook authors. Only the Austin Flint murmur, the Corrigan pulse, the Duroziez sign, and the Hill sign had sufficient original literature for detailed review. Most reports were low quality, with varying sensitivities for all signs. Except for the Hill sign, specificity tended to be poor. Evidence for the Hill sign also suggested a correlation between the popliteal-brachial gradient and aortic regurgitation severity. CONCLUSIONS: Prominent textbook support of the eponymous signs of aortic regurgitation is not matched by the literature. Clinicians and educators should update and improve the evidence for these signs to ensure their relevance in current medical practice.
Aged↗
[Eponyms in medical terminology].
Use of eponyms and their frequency in anatomical and clinical medical terminologies are compared. In the standard anatomical terminology, use of eponyms in the macroscopic anatomical terms is not allowed. In the clinical terminology, on the other hand, the use of eponyms is very frequent. In conclusion the author presents advantages and disadvantages of the eponym use. (Ref. 7.)
Anatomy↗
Presidential address: Eponyms in biliary tract surgery.
A selected group of men whose eponyms are currently used in biliary tract surgery are described. The eponyms chosen comprise two areas: gross anatomy (Glisson, Wirsung, Santorini, Winslow, Heister, and Vater) and operative anatomy (Kocher, Courvoisier, Morison, Hartmann, Calot, Roux, and Oddi). A brief review of biliary tract disease from antiquity until the 17th century places these men in proper historical sequence. A condensed biographical sketch of each man's life and work is provided and a few closing comments are made about eponyms.
Animals↗
Barré-Lieou syndrome and the problem of the obsolete eponym.
BACKGROUND: Eponym lists in major sources can give an aura of legitimacy to discredited diagnoses, as exemplified by the case of Barré-Lieou syndrome, a 'rare' vestibular disorder. METHODS: A literature review for information on the posterior cervical syndrome of Barré-Lieou. RESULTS: Barré-Lieou syndrome includes very common symptoms--tinnitus, dizziness, and head or neck pain--attributed to ischaemia caused by cervical sympathetic nerve compression. Its original description brings together many unrelated disorders, and its causative mechanism has been discredited. However, it appears credulously in a number of eponym lists, and references to the syndrome are steadily increasing on the internet in general and on alternative medicine and legal profession websites in particular. CONCLUSION: By inclusion in eponym lists, without a disclaimer, a syndrome can be given legitimacy before the general public. A syndrome, such as Barré-Lieou syndrome, that is useless to the medical profession can unfortunately prove to be very useful for litigants and disability claimants.
Cerebrovascular Disorders↗
The origin of eponyms used in cochlear anatomy.
The anatomy of the cochlea, one of the most complicated parts of the inner ear, is associated with numerous eponyms, mostly originating from German anatomists of the 19th century. In addition to the organ of Corti and Reissner's membrane, which are the best known, nine other eponymic anatomic terms are associated with the cochlea: Deiters' cells, Hensen's cells, Hensen's strip, Claudius' cells, Boettscher's cells, Rosenthal's canal, Hardesty's membrane, Huschke's teeth, and Nuel's space. All of these anatomic eponyms are described, with their original references.
Cochlea↗
Eponyms in esophageal surgery, part 2.
Eponyms in medicine are frequently criticized because they may not represent the person who first described a syndrome or disease. Although eponyms are very commonly used, most readers are probably unaware of who it was that named the diseases and whether the original description of the disease still corresponds to the modern definition. The 10 most common eponyms in esophageal diseases were revisited. The men and the disease behind Barrett's esophagus, Boerhaave's syndrome, Mallory-Weiss syndrome, Cameron ulcer, Schatzki ring, Paterson-Kelly syndrome, Plummer-Vinson, Chagas's disease, Zenker diverticulum and Killian diverticulum are reviewed here.
Digestive System Surgical Procedures↗