Should eponyms be abandoned? Yes

doi:10.1136/bmj.39308.342639.AD

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

Feature

Head to head

Should eponyms be abandoned? Yes

Alexander Woywodt, consultant renal physician¹, Eric Matteson, professor of rheumatology²

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

Correspondence to: A Woywodt Mail@Alexander-Woywodt.com

Medicine has been enthusiastic in naming tests, symptoms, anddiseases after their discoverers. Alexander Woywodt and EricMatteson argue that eponyms are no longer appropriate, but JudithA Whitworth believes they remain a useful reflection of medicalhistory

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 isnamed or thought to be named. Eponyms are deeply rooted in traditionand 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 diseaseswere 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 willnot be accepted by patients, relatives, or the public.

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 variantof reactive arthritis, took part in human experiments.² Theserevelations resulted in . . . [Full text of this article]

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