Medico-historical Perspective Research Articles

Eponymous signs in toxicology and poisoning in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Toxicology emerged as an independent discipline in the early nineteenth century and has been aided by the development of numerous sophisticated tests that allow physicians and scientists to identify, quantify, and quantitate elements, chemicals, compounds, and toxins and to sort them into their component parts. These developments also contributed to enrich toxicological terminology with many new terms and eponyms in particular. Eponyms are ascribed to a variety of phenomena including attributing, in many cases, to the person who first identified or described a particular phenomenon and are named for the variety of findings found during the medical, surgical, pathological, or laboratory evaluation. Focusing on eponymous signs caused by poisons and toxins, the purpose of this paper is to honor the eponymous persons who first discovered, described, or more fully elaborated the finding. Nearly 30 associated eponyms have been identified in the literature, half of which were named for persons (e.g., Anstie sign, Billard sign, Blyth sign, Burton sign/line, Corrigan sign, Hertoghe sign, Peary sign). We believe that they are important to learn as they impart an in-depth appreciation of their role and application during the clinical examination. Knowledge of the person's biographical accomplishment(s) and character imparts a personalized and humane qualities to these signs from a medico-historical perspective. Understanding these signs and how to recognize them provides a method applying the bedside clinical examination to further support clinical suspicion or diagnose disease.

Medical conditions of Omer Seyfettin (1884-1920), the father of Turkish short stories, enshrined as a mystery.

Born in 1884 in Balıkesir, Turkey, Ömer Seyfettin was a leading figure among modern Turkish short story writers whose death in 1920 at the age of 36 led to long-term speculations about his fatal illness. In order to pay homage to his memory in the centennial of his death and to shed light on his later medical condition, this paper seeks to reexamine his last days from a medico-historical perspective. Our findings indicate that there was a notable decline in his health occurring after 1917 when he was confined to social isolation. A carbuncle was diagnosed in his posterior neck when he was 35-years of age and not satisfactorily treated. In late February 1920, he developed progressive symptoms over two weeks consisting initially of a headache, followed by fever, delirium, hallucinations, and diplopia. These clinical signs and symptoms are clinically suggestive of a septic encephalopathy presumably caused by staphylococcus aureus infection secondary to the carbuncle, or perhaps by one of the myriad causes of viral meningoencephalitis.

Dermatology in India and Indian dermatology: A Medico-Historical perspective.

Dermatology in India and Indian dermatology: A Medico-Historical perspective.