Hyphenated history: Erb-Duchenne brachial plexus palsy

Abstract

Throughout history, the discoveries of their predecessors have led physicians to revolutionary advances in the understanding and practice of medicine. The result is a plethora of hyphenated eponyms paying tribute to individuals connected through time by a common interest. The history of Guillaume Duchenne de Boulogne, the "father of electrotherapy and electrodiagnosis," and Wilhelm Heinrich Erb, the "father of neurology," offers insight into the personal and professional lives of these astute clinicians and their collaborative medical breakthrough in the area of neurologic paralysis affecting the upper limbs.