Redefining terminology for medical eponyms

Abstract

We read with interest Nieradko-Iwanicka's article on "National eponyms in medicine" and herein contribute further to the discussion [1]. Medical eponyms remain a contentious issue as there are those who promote and others who oppose their use. We propose a framework and contextual method of how to approach medical eponyms. This involves appropriately defining the term, understanding factors which support or reject their use, and recognizing potential application of their use in diagnosis and teaching pathophysiology, structural, and functional aspects of disease.Nieradko-Iwanicka defined an eponym as "a person, place or thing after whom or after which something is named" [1]. We contend that this definition is too broad, overlaps with, and is often used in the same context as a medical eponym; the term we propose is more restrictive in definition. In developing a revised definition of a medical eponym we adopted and applied concepts based on nomenclature guidelines previously proposed for future naming patterns for malformations at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) [2] and best practice standards for naming new human infectious diseases that impact global health by the World Health Organization (WHO) [3,4]. Key highlights in the NIH statement included that current designations should remain unless there is compelling reason for change, use of a single name, avoiding possessive name use, and names that may draw "unpleasant connotation for the family and/ or affected individuals" [2]. The WHO more specifically addressed the latter concern in that the name chosen should not include reference to a "cultural, social, national, regional, professional or ethnic group" [4]. Thus, names of people, geographic locations, cultural population, with industry or occupational reference or that may cause fear or harm should not be used in order to avoid

Medical eponyms from linguistic and historical points of view

“…I do believe that discussion on eponyms, also in rheumatology [see: 17] is one of the best ways to attract young colleagues to the history of medicine instead of formal lectures on the past of our profession. I fully agree and support the view of Yale et al [2] to avoid premature and emotionally driven elimination of eponyms until they have been investigated from historical, medical, and linguistic points of view.…”

“…I wish to congratulate the author and extend my thanks to her for addressing the subject of medical eponyms, which I have been interested in for many years. I also found a very interesting comment on the paper by Yale et al [ 2 ], who focused on the rationale of usage of eponyms in medical terminology. The subject of eponyms in medicine is very broad, and I am limiting my comments to a few linguistic and historical aspects only.…”

“…There was also a dispute between the authors on their contribution to the final paper [15]. These two abovementioned aspects are discussed by Yale et al [2] in their valuable comment.…”

NOMENs land: The place of eponyms in the anatomy classroom

“…Another reason that proponents of the need to teach eponyms in medical education use is because it helps preserve and deepen the appreciation for the history of medicine (Whitworth, 2007; Werneck & Batigália, 2011; Bunch, 2016; Bunch & Zamani, 2016; Toodayan, 2017; Van Tassel et al, 2018; Yale et al, 2020; Becker et al, 2021; Benner et al, 2021). They also provide an opportunity to recognize the efforts of scientists before us to advance medical knowledge and that these scientists deserve to have their names immortalized (Habbal, 2017).…”

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

“…Oxford Medical Dictionary (2020) defines the term as “a disease, structure, or species named after a particular person, usually the person who first discovered or described it.” [ 1 ]. In a broader sense, an eponym is bestowed on individuals who identified or discovered an anatomical part, disease, finding, sign, symptom, syndrome, or test, or who create an algorithm, classification, device, prediction rule, principle, procedure, treatment, or view [ 2 ]. The term originally comes from the Greek επω ν υμoς (epṓnumos), which means “having a surname; that gives its name to – receiving its name from.” [ 3 ].…”