Medical Eponyms linked to hair

Abstract

An eponym is a word derived from the name of a person, whether real or fictional. A medical eponym is thus any word related to medicine, whose name is derived from a person. Nevertheless, some ancient medical scientists who made researches and their names were linked to medical conditions, hence become „eponyms’’ are now „anonyms”, in the sense that little is known about them. In Table I [1-12], I listed some commonly used medical eponyms which are primarily linked to hair. As it is seen from the table, the „hair eponyms’’ are not limited to the hair disorders but also, the anatomical structures, inside the hair follicle. Tracing the historical origins of medical eponyms can be fraught with dilemmas, particularly when the evidence for the naming comes from portraiture, as in Queen Anne’s sign [12]. There is a rise and fall in the usage of eponyms in medical literature as there is ongoing dispute whether to use or not to use them. However, it is obvious that those eponyms coined for any old and common medical conditions, are likely to be continually used. REFERENCES