Medical Eponyms in Neurology
Keywords:
Neurology, eponyms, history of medicineAbstract
Introduction: The original descriptions of diseases made by physicians, whose eponym is used daily, are nothing more than magnificent clinical observations made over time by prominent personalities in medicine.
Objective: To review and summarize the historical origin, clinical utility, and validity of the main eponyms of the neurological examination.
Methods: A literature review was conducted on the topic in PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and Scielo. Those not relevant to the purpose of this review were excluded.
Development: One of the characteristics of medical language is the common use of eponyms, or terms constructed from proper names. This is how physical signs, syndromes, and diseases are mentioned that bear the names of personalities in the history of medicine who first described them. For some, the use of eponyms is inappropriate because they often give an untruthful idea of how diseases were discovered and reflect influences, politics, language, habits, or even scientific achievements. This paper presents some ideas concerning eponyms in the field of neurology. It can be predicted that the use of eponyms will continue, as they play a fundamental role in communication between health professionals.
Conclusions: Understanding the biographies and historical context of the discoverers or describers of signs, syndromes, and diseases constitutes an extraordinary lesson in the history of medicine, regardless of the criteria of those who focus on linguistic and semantic problems.
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