Medical Eponym Research Articles

Send in the Clowns: A Special Tribute to Medical Clowning and Clown Eponyms in Dermatology

Clowns have long delighted circus crowds and are celebrated not only in popular culture but also in the dermatology literature as medical eponyms. This contribution discusses four such eponyms: 1) clown nose-like lesion, 2) clown eczema (perioral dermatitis) 3) clown alopecia pattern in frontal fibrosing alopecia and 4) clown's face of Brachman de Lange syndrome (Cornelia de Lange syndrome). This contribution also highlights the role of medical clowning in patient care by paying tribute to Cobo the Clown, also known as Barbara Joyce Cohen, who has served as a dedicated caring clown for over thirty years.

Should medical eponyms continue to be used in everyday practice?

Should medical eponyms continue to be used in everyday practice?

Medical eponyms versus acronyms: what medical terminology is most beneficial to learn? A question of goals.

Appropriate use of medical terminology is one of the core conditions for successful communication in monolingual and multilingual healthcare communities. The modern scientific language is based on the descriptive terminology. However, it is often the case that the advantages of descriptive terminology are at odds with the ability to express complex concepts in just a few words. To solve this practicality problem it is customary to coin abbreviations and acronyms preferred to traditional eponyms. Today eponyms are considered ambiguous and non-descriptive, linked to the terminology of the past. The overview of this study demonstrates that the current habit of using acronyms can increase the scientific descriptive capacity compared to eponyms. On the other hand, acronyms remain ambiguous and more ephemeral than eponyms. Furthermore, eponyms are not as descriptive as acronyms, but they still carry important information for a medical student. If you truly believe in the importance of Medical Humanities in the medical curriculum, two aspects cannot be overlooked. First, eponyms bring students closer in an almost subliminal way to the history of medicine and the non-strictly technical-scientific field of medicine. Second, medicine is a complex science applied to humans and must strive to keep the patient at the center of its interests. Patients and their families preferably ask us to use eponyms. Which terminology to choose for medical students? The teachers have the last word.

Gender and Racialization Status of Medical Eponym Namesakes: Cross-sectional Study.

Many medical eponyms were established when women and racialized individuals were excluded from medicine. The objective of this study was to determine the gender and racialization status of individuals whose names are incorporated in medical eponyms. This study is a cross-sectional analysis of gender and racialization of medical eponym namesakes. The main outcome measures were the study of gender and racialization of medical eponym namesakes found in Whonamedit, Mosby's Medical Dictionary, and the International Classification of Diseases(version 10). The gender and whether the individual was a racialized person were determined using pictures and other available information. We identified 3484 unique eponyms. White men represented the majority of medical eponym namesakes (2190 of 2327, 94.1%) followed by white women (85 of 2327, 3.7%), racialized men (49 of 2327, 2.1%), and racialized women (3 of 2327, 0.1%). In the ICD-10 sub-analysis, white men represented the majority of medical eponym namesakes (476 of 514, 92.6%) followed by white women (22 of 514, 4.3%), racialized men (14 of 514, 2.7%), and racialized women (2 of 514, 0.4%). Most medical eponyms represent men and white individuals, highlighting the underrepresentation of women and racialized individuals. This indicates a need to re-examine the ongoing use of medical eponyms which may entrench sexism and racism in medicine and contribute to an environment that makes some feel unwelcome or undervalued.

When medical eponyms become false friends, and how to deal with them

Medical eponyms can sometimes function as false friends, endangering communication. We demonstrate this by examining a selection of 50 medical phenomena in 8 languages for which eponyms, simple or complex ones, exist. The vast majority of medical eponyms are true friends. However, we have detected several types of false friends. Eponymic false friends in medical terminology may arise through clipping or truncation of the appellative or of a complex eponymic core. False friends may also come into existence through the confusion caused by auto-hyponymy. Finally, in addition to the choice between eponymic cores of variable complexity, there may also be alternatives that form a set of synonyms. Translation of the latter type of term may result in unwarranted introduction of a pseudo-eponym. This means that terminological variation, synonymy and homonymy—the notorious undesirables in terminology—are the hotbed of the majority of problems that may be described as false–friend relationship. We also suggest some pedagogical strategies that may help mitigate the problem of false friends in MELF contexts. These are based on recent insights from SLA and cognitively oriented research on the phenomenon of false friends, i.e., they integrate affective, cognitive and conative aspects of learning.

History Page: Leaders in MSK Radiology Augusto Pellegrini, 1877-1958.

This history page in the series "Leaders in MSK Radiology" is dedicated to the memory and achievements of the Italian surgeon Augusto Pellegrini, whose name is partially associated with the medical eponym Pellegrini-Stieda disease.

Eponyms that honor Jewish dermatologists: A celebration and a remembrance, Part one: Jewish physicians who practiced before 1933.

This multipart feature celebrates the Jewish contribution to dermatology over the past 200 years, as reflected by medical eponyms that honor the names of Jewish physicians. Many of these physicians practiced in Germany and Austria after the emancipation of Jews in Europe. Part one discusses 17 physicians who practiced medicine before the Nazi takeover of Germany during 1933. Examples of such eponyms from this period include the Auspitz phenomenon, Henoch-Schonlein purpura, Kaposi's sarcoma, Koebner phenomenon, Koplik spots, Lassar paste, ital Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Unna boot. One of these physicians, Paul Ehrlich (1854-1915), became the first Jew to be awarded the Noble Prize in Medicine or Physiology, an honor he received in 1908 and shared with his fellow Jew, Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov (1845-1916). Parts two and three of this project will present the names of 30 more Jewish physicians honored by medical eponyms and who practiced medicine during the Holocaust era and its aftermath, including those physicians who perished at the hands of the Nazis.

Jacques Calvé, 1875-1954.

This history page in the series "Leaders in MSK Radiology" is dedicated to the memory and achievements of the French physician Jacques Calvé, whose name is partially associated with the medical eponym Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease.

Things We Do for No Reason™: Toxic quizzing in medical education.

Things We Do for No Reason™: Toxic quizzing in medical education.

Mario Campanacci, 1932-1999.

This history page in the series "Leaders in Musculoskeletal Radiology" is dedicated to the memory and achievements of the Italian scientist Mario Campanacci, whose name is connected to the medical eponym Jaffe-Campanacci syndrome and to the field and progress of musculoskeletal oncology.

Heinrich Ernst Albers-Schönberg, 1865-1921.

This history page in the series "Leaders in Musculoskeletal Radiology" is dedicated to the memory and achievements of the German physician Heinrich Albers-Schönberg, a pioneer of radiology whose name is connected to the medical eponym Albers-Schönberg's disease, also referred to as osteopetrosis or marble bone disease.

When I use a word . . Nasty medical eponyms

Abstract When Jewish physicians and scientists were dismissed from their posts by the Nazis in the 1930s, or left voluntarily, their places were often taken by Nazi sympathizers, all too...

How to Classify, Teach, and Learn Ophthalmic Eponyms

IntroductionThere are limited educational studies on effective ways to teach and learn medical eponyms. While there is no consensus on how to best address this issue, developing novel strategies to teach medical eponyms has become critical in many branches of medicine, including ophthalmology. Materials & MethodsAn ophthalmologic eponymic database was created using eight source texts (e.g., books, encyclopedias, and dictionaries) and included the year the eponym was introduced, related name, nationality, specialty, and the eponym’s description. PubMed database with a Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) keyword for “eponym” and “eye” and “ophthalmology” and a Google search for a combination of related keywords was also performed. A careful biographical search was conducted for each name in the second phase to obtain further biographical details. Inclusion criteria for eponyms in the dataset were: i) named after at least one person, ii) identified as a specific medical term in the literature, iii) related to any field of medicine. Names derived from art, history, mythology, patient, family, chemistry, botany (or other fields outside of medicine) were excluded. The three authors independently screened to eliminate duplicated names and ensure eligible names met inclusion and exclusion criteria.ResultsA total of 1,257 unique ophthalmologic eponyms representing 8.8% of 14,332 medical eponyms were identified. Three-hundred fifty-one of 743 (47.2%) eponyms were named after ophthalmologists representing 36 countries. The United States of America and Germany comprised the largest fraction of nationalities (40.2%), not necessarily representing their birthplace. Signs, syndromes, and diseases composed the largest category (45.8%) of eponymous ophthalmologic names.DiscussionThe current volume of eponymous names impedes the ability of a learner to retain this information. Classifying eponyms based on form, intention, or function, provides a more refined method for placing eponyms in their respective categories. Teaching eponyms by enumerating their historical content, demonstrating the correct performance of the eponym, assessing the technique, and providing feedback, affords the learner a more fruitful and meaningful learning experience. Understanding the context of the signs, syndrome, or techniques further allows the learner to gain insights into the clinical application of eponyms in diagnostic decision-making.ConclusionThe teaching model proposed incorporates key aspects that may facilitate retention and recall of the eponymous name. The model includes imparting historical knowledge about the person who described the sign, technique, or process; demonstrating the correct procedure as originally reported; and coaching to ensure that the appropriate skill is mastered. Before abandoning eponyms, it is first necessary to understand their efficacy, effectiveness, usefulness, and role in clinical medicine.

The Buffalo Hump of Cushing Syndrome

One of the striking features of Cushing syndrome is the “buffalo hump,” which describes the dramatic accumulation of fat in the dorsocervical region of the body. This contribution tells the story behind this notable medical eponym.

History Page: Leaders in MSK Radiology.

This history page in the series "Leaders in MSK Radiology" is dedicated to the memory and achievements of the French physician Jacques Forestier, whose name is connected with the medical eponym Forestier's disease, later referred to as diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis.

Medical eponyms: redeeming or not the long-standing tradition

BackgroundHealthcare workers often use terms such as Apgar, Babinski or Glasgow in their routine duties. These terms are used worldwide; they are universal and recognised in various languages. Medical eponyms...

Author's reply: Spain's Contribution to Medical Eponyms

Author's reply: Spain's Contribution to Medical Eponyms

Spain's contribution to medical eponyms

Spain's contribution to medical eponyms

The declining use of medical eponyms associated with the Nazi regime: A case study of changes in the International Classification of Diseases of the World Health Organization

This work focuses on a specific type of terminological variants, i.e. medical eponymous terms gradually replaced by alternative, noneponymous terms. This descriptive study is conducted on a controlled medical terminology set – the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) of the World Health Organization (WHO). The focus of the study is on the eponymous terms named after physicians associated with the Nazi regime. The aim is to analyse if these eponyms were included in ICD-10 and if they were transferred into the new, 11th version of the Classification. Of all the eponymous terms presented in the paper, seven were found in ICD-10. The overall result of this study indicates that the eponymous terms associated with the Nazi regime have been replaced with alternatives or removed from the 11th version of the International Classification of Diseases in all cases, except for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

History Page: Leaders in MSK Radiology Hans Jessen Panner, 1871-1930.

This history page in the series "Leaders in MSK Radiology" is dedicated to the memory and achievements of the Danish radiologist Hans Jessen Panner, whose name is connected to the medical eponym Panner's disease.