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. 2014 Jul 31;4(3).
doi: 10.3402/jchimp.v4.25046. eCollection 2014.

Medical eponyms

Robert P Ferguson  1 , Deborah Thomas  1
Affiliations

Medical eponyms

Robert P Ferguson et al. J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect. .

Abstract

Eponyms are a long-standing tradition in medicine. Eponyms usually involve honoring a prominent physician scientist who played a major role in the identification of the disease. Under the right circumstances, a disease becomes well known through the name of this individual. There are no rules on eponym development. It may take an extraordinary period of time, be different in different languages and cultures, and evolve as more is known about the physician or the disease.

Keywords: Reiter's; Wegener's; eponyms; medical diseases; munchausen syndrome.

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