BMJ  2007;335:424 (1 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.39308.342639.AD

Feature

Head to head

Should eponyms be abandoned? Yes

¹ Renal Unit, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Preston, Lancashire PR2 9HT , ² Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA

Medicine has been enthusiastic in naming tests, symptoms, and diseases after their discoverers. Alexander Woywodt and Eric Matteson argue that eponyms are no longer appropriate, but Judith A Whitworth believes they remain a useful reflection of medical history

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines an eponym as a person . . . after whom a discovery, invention, institution, etc is named or thought to be named. Eponyms are deeply rooted in tradition and their use has long been viewed as a matter of taste. However, it is time to abandon them in favour of a more descriptive nomenclature.

Eponyms often provide a less than truthful account of how diseases were discovered and reflect influence, politics, language, habit, or even sheer luck rather than scientific achievement. Moreover, the continued use of tainted eponyms is inappropriate and will not be accepted by patients, relatives, or the public.

Eponyms connected to Nazi medicine are inappropriate

The atrocities committed by Nazi doctors are well documented¹; they received new attention with the discovery that Hans Reiter, a German doctor who is remembered for his discovery of a variant of reactive arthritis, took part in human experiments.² These revelations resulted in . . . [Full text of this article]

Eponyms do not reflect scientific discoveries

Eponyms lack scientific accuracy

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