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Should eponyms be abandoned? No

Judith A Whitworth, director

John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia

director@cs!r"anu"edu"au

Medicine has been enthusiastic in naming tests, symptoms, anddiseases after their discovers.Alexander Woywodt

and Eric Mattesonargue that eponyms are no longer appropriate, but Judith A Whitworthbelieves they remain a

useful reflection of medical history

So!e years a#o, fillin# in ti!e bet$een candidates in a clinicale%a!ination, & $as chattin# to a collea#ue about

e'ony!s" (isvie$ $as that e'ony!s $ere not 'articularly useful and he recalledan encounter $ith a youn# $o!an

stru##lin# in a si!ilar e%a!ination"She couldn)t find the ly!'h nodes and see!ed unfa!iliar $ith'ul!onary

auscultation" To bolster her s'irits, he as*ed her$ho discovered +och)s bacillus" She beca!e even !ore an%ious

and lost for $ords" My collea#ue hel'fully as*ed, -ho $roteMendelssohn)s Spring Song. and she burst into tears"

Si!ilarly,& recall a friend co!in# out of a fine arts e%a!ination andas*in# $ho desi#ned the /iffel To$er"

& understand there $as a lon# line of 'eo'le ha''y to ar#ue that e'ony!s be abolished, and fe$ 're'ared to ta*e the

contraryvie$" This & can only ascribe to the $ell *no$n hu!an 'ro'ensityto enoy tiltin# at $ind!ills" /'ony!s are

here to stay"

/'ony!s are every$here and there are lots of the!133$hen & last loo*ed at $hona!edit"co!"4They are heard

on thestreet as $ell as in the $ard" They are in te%tboo*s, in the !ass !edia, on the $eb, 'al! 'ilots, and in the

-orld (ealth5r#ani6ation)s latest revision of the international classificationof diseases"2They are so $idely used and

reco#nised that theireradication, even if it $ere desirable, $ould ta*e a 'ur#e of!onu!ental 'ro'ortion and effort"

-hy bother. /'ony!s brin#colour to !edicine, they 'rovide a convenient short hand forthe 'rofession and the

co!!unity ali*e, and they e!bed !edicaltraditions and culture in our history"

The use of e'ony!s in !edicine, as in other areas, is oftenrando!, inconsistent, idiosyncratic, confused, and heavily

influencedby local #eo#ra'hy and culture" This is 'art of their beauty"7or e%a!'le, 8lu!!er9:inson syndro!e in the

United States ;andAustraliaraha! test in Sydney"=

/'ony!s are often 'ractical and a for! of !edical shorthand" ?o $e really $ant to s'ea* of con#enital cyanotic heart

diseasedue to ventricular se'tal defect, 'ul!onary stenosis, ri#ht ventricular hy'ertro'hy, and aortic de%tro'osition

rather than7allot)s tetralo#y. 5r hereditary disorder of renal tubularfunction $ith vita!in ? resistant renal ric*ets,

#lycosuria,a!inoaciduria, and hy'er'hos'haturia for 7anconi syndro!e. 5rviolent !uscular er*s of the face,

shoulders, and e%tre!ities$ith s'as!odic #runtin#, e%'losive noises, or co'rolalia insteadof Tourette)s syndro!e.

mailto:director@jcsmr.anu.edu.aumailto:director@jcsmr.anu.edu.auhttp://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/335/7617/425#REF1http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/335/7617/425#REF2http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/335/7617/425#REF3http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/335/7617/425#REF3http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/335/7617/425#REF3http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/335/7617/425#REF1http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/335/7617/425#REF2http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/335/7617/425#REF3http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/335/7617/425#REF3mailto:director@jcsmr.anu.edu.au

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No need for censoring

/'ony!s are not si!'ly rooted in the 'ast" They co!e and #o"Richard ri#ht, Tho!as (od#*in, and Tho!as

Addison, #iants of43th century !edicine, $ere conte!'oraries at >uy)s (os'ital"(od#*in)s disease and Addison)s

disease are $ell *no$n to 'ractitionersand 'ublic ali*e" ri#ht)s disease $as $idely used as an e'ony!for

#lo!erulone'hritis ;althou#h Ste$art Ca!eron sho$ed one of ri#ht)s cases $as in fact a!yloid< but $ith i!'roved

understandin#of the diverse aetiolo#y, 'atholo#y, and clinical courses ofvarious for!s of ne'hritis, it has fallen fro!

favour" Si!ilarly,the e'ony!ous !on#olis! has disa''eared fro! conte!'orary use and been re'laced by ?o$n)s

syndro!e" As $e co!e to understand!ore of the basis of diseases, current usa#e $ill chan#e" Thereis no need to

le#islate a#ainst e'ony!s" They #o of their o$naccord $hen they 'ass their use9by date"

&n these ;better< days of codified evidence, a''eal to authority is the last resort, but here it is the best evidence $e

have"To learn it is necessary to understand history" Much is !adeof the ar#u!ent that to use the na!e of so!eone

$ho $as vileis to celebrate the! ina''ro'riately" ut history is $hat ha''ened, not $hat $e or the revisionists $ish

had ha''ened" -e re!e!berthe na!es of tyrants and des'ise the!, not celebrate the!" Tellin# 'eo'le $hat they

!ust or !ust not say or $rite is frau#ht $ithdan#er" Rather it should be left to individuals to deter!ine if there are

'eo'le $hose na!e they do not care to recall;Don Quixote, Cervantes

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References

1. -ho na!ed it. "$$$"$hona!edit"co!

2. -orld (ealth 5r#ani6ation" &nternational statistical classification of diseases and related

health 'roble!s" "$$$"$ho"intEclassificationsEa''sEicdEicd40online

=" 7ir*in >, -hit$orth JA, eds" ?ictionary of !edical e'ony!s" CanforthD 8arthenon,

431"

" Ca!eron JS, ec*er /" Richard ri#ht and observations in renal histolo#y" Guys Hosp

Rep43FG44=D4H3914"IMedline

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