"Reflections on eponyms in medicine: Present, past and future"

Abstract

"Physicians and all people working in the health care sector, students and the general public are used to using terms like Alzheimer’s or Down’s syndrome, often without having any idea about their historical importance. The present article reflects on some important ideas regarding eponyms used in medicine. They should not be considered the last word but rather material for future discussion on the topic. A search was made for articles on the topic in the PubMed (using MeSH term “Eponyms)” and Embase databases (using Emtree term “Nomenclature” and combining it with other terms like internal medicine). The indexes of reference books dealing with medicine’s main areas were reviewed; this led to compiling some lists of eponyms which have been totally or partially absorbed into the literature. Some professors were also consulted regarding their respective fields of expertise who reviewed such lists and made their own suggestions. It may be foreseen that eponyms will continue to be used, at least in the near future as they play a fundamental role in communication between people working in the healthcare sector. © 2014 Universidad Nacional de Colombia. All rights reserved."