From the Hallervorden-Spatz eponym to the molecular terminology

Abstract

A combination of Niemann-Pick- and Hallervorden-Spatz diseases led to the death of a 17-year-old boy in 1994. Genetic counseling necessitated further investigations in 2017. Meanwhile, the nomenclature of Hallervorden-Spatz disease has been abandoned. The author analyze the reasons for this change. Professional activities of Hallervorden and Spatz during and after the Nazi euthanasia program are presented. Also, the scientific efforts that led to the discovery of the genetic background of the disease and ultimately to its new name are highlighted. In nazi Germany, a large number of mentally disabled were killed. The majority of pediatric-brains were transferred to the "Kaiser Wilhelm Institut für Hirnforschung", led by Hugo Spatz, and was included in the "Hallervorden collection". Investigations exploring the connections between eponyms and nazi-activites started in the mid-1980s. This process was accelerated by the discovery of genetic alterations underlying disease entities, including neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA). NBIA has several subtypes, with the first being the disease described by Hallervorden and Spatz, and recently renamed to pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN). The case examined by the authors belongs to the third subtype, to the mitochondrial protein-associated neurodegeneration (MPAN). The works of the two noted neuropathologists strongly conflict with current ethical principles of human research studies. The buried "Hallervorden collection" in the Munich Waldfriedhof cemetery, and the memorial column erected there will remain a sad reminder of a time when a political system profoundly distorted the judgement of even academic physicians. Orv Hetil. 2017; 158(43): 1723-1727.