The use of eponyms in medical case reports: etymological, quantitative, and structural analysis

Journal of Medical Case Reports · 2 authors, 1 centre

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This study analyzed 81 mythological and literary eponyms appearing 3,995 times in Journal of Medical Case Reports (2007–2022), finding that Greek mythology is the dominant source (65 eponyms, 3,633 results). The findings highlight the importance of understanding eponym etymology to ensure correct usage and avoid spelling errors in medical writing. Clinically, awareness of these terms promotes international communication, brevity, and continuity of medical knowledge.

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**Background:** This paper examines eponyms—terms derived from proper names—in medical case reports, focusing on those from world mythologies, the Bible, and modern literature. The authors argue that eponyms are more prevalent in medical discourse than commonly recognized and that understanding their etymology can prevent spelling errors and improve communication. The study aims to quantify the prevalence of mythological and literary eponyms in Journal of Medical Case Reports (JMCR) and analyze their etymological origins, structural patterns, and semantic categories.

**Methods:** The researchers analyzed all issues of JMCR from 2007 to 2022. They identified mythological and literary eponyms using three reference works: The Latin-Ukrainian Thesaurus of Clinical Terms, The Latin-Ukrainian Medical Encyclopedic Dictionary, and Medicine, Literature and Eponyms: An Encyclopedia of Medical Eponyms Derived from Literary Characters. Each eponym was searched automatically on the JMCR website. The analysis employed quantitative examination (counting occurrences), structural analysis (classifying as one-word, two-word, or three-word phrases), etymological analysis (tracing origins), and contextual analysis (examining usage in broader medical context). Eponyms were grouped into five semantic categories: pathological conditions, anatomical descriptions, physiological conditions, medical instruments/diagnostic tools/manipulations, and chemical substances/medications.

**Key Results:** A total of 81 mythological and literary eponyms were identified, appearing 3,995 times in JMCR. The distribution by source: Greek mythology—65 eponyms (3,633 results); Roman mythology—6 eponyms (113 results); other world mythologies (Germanic and Egyptian)—4 eponyms (88 results); the Bible—2 eponyms (15 results); world literature—4 eponyms (146 results). The most frequent Greek-derived eponyms included "coma" (329 results), "echocardiography" (605 results), "psychiatric" (277 results), and "arthralgia" (154 results). The most common Roman-derived eponym was "venereal disease" (65 results). Among other mythologies, "ammonia" appeared 66 times and "hyperammonemia" 20 times. Biblical eponyms included "barbiturates" (14 results) and "Lazarus phenomenon" (1 result). Literary eponyms included "syphilis" (141 results), "Rapunzel syndrome" (2 results), "Pickwickian syndrome" (1 result), and "Munchausen syndrome" (2 results). Thematically, pathological conditions dominated (41 eponyms), followed by anatomical descriptions (12), medical instruments (11), physiological phenomena (9), and chemical substances/medications (8). Structurally, one-word terms were most common (53 eponyms), followed by two-word phrases (21) and three-word phrases (7). The study also identified 22 cases of erroneous eponyms (e.g., "Adam's" instead of "Adams'") and common misspellings (e.g., "fulerene" for "fullerene").

**Clinical Implications:** The study demonstrates that mythological and literary eponyms are deeply embedded in medical case reports, with Greek mythology being the predominant source. Understanding eponym etymology helps prevent spelling errors and ensures correct usage. Eponyms offer international comprehensibility, brevity, and conciseness—essential features of medical case reports. The authors recommend incorporating eponym study into medical curricula to enhance terminological competence, promote interdisciplinary knowledge, and foster well-rounded healthcare professionals. The findings support the integration of humanities into medical education, as eponyms reflect the cultural and historical roots of medical terminology.

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other

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linguistics

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96% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10076814

The use of eponyms in medical case reports: etymological, quantitative, and structural analysis

Journal of Medical Case Reports

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ABSTRACT

Abstract Background The present paper focuses on eponyms, that is, terms with proper names, in particular, derived from world mythologies, the Bible, and modern literature. The study highlights the significance of this terminological phenomenon in the English sublanguage of medicine and discusses its role in the process of writing medical case reports. The objectives of the research are to study the prevalence of eponyms in the English language in medical case reports and to analyze the etymology of the revealed terms. The deeper purpose of our study is to demonstrate that eponymic terms in general, and mythological and literary eponyms, in particular, are present in doctors’ spoken and written discourse far more extensively than might seem at first glance. By drawing attention to this terminological phenomenon, we will provide relevant guidelines, which will ensure the correct use of eponyms by medical professionals who will deal with the genre of medical case reports. Methods We studied the prevalence of these terms in the issues of Journal of Medical Case Reports (2008–2022) and classified them according to their etymological origin and frequency of use. The selected medical case reports were considered using the methods of quantitative examination, and structural, etymological, and contextual analyses. Results We detected the major tendencies in using mythological and literary eponyms in medical case reports. We found a total of 81 mythological and literary eponyms, represented by 3995 cases of use in Journal of Medical Case Reports issues, and traced the etymology of their onomastic components. Hence, we delineated the five most prevalent sources of these terminological units: Greek mythology, Roman mythology, other world mythologies, the Bible, and fiction. The research revealed that modern medical case reports largely rely primarily on Greek mythology (65 eponyms, 3633 results), which is due to a rich informational and metaphorical arsenal of these ancient corpora of human knowledge. The group of eponyms rooted in Roman mythology ranks second, and these terms are much less prevalent in modern medical case reports (6 eponyms, 113 results). Four eponyms (88 results) represent other world mythologies (Germanic and Egyptian). Two terms with onomastic components come from the Bible (15 results), and four eponyms stem from modern literature (146 results). We also detected several widespread mistakes in the spelling of some mythological and literary eponyms. It is our opinion that the awareness of an eponym’s etymology can effectively prevent and minimize the appearance of such errors in medical case reports. Conclusions The adequate use of mythological and literary eponyms in medical case reports is an effective way to share one’s clinical findings with colleagues from all over the world, because these eponyms are internationally widespread and understood. Correct use of eponyms promotes the continuity of medical knowledge and ensures conciseness and brevity, which are indispensable features of medical case reports as a genre. Therefore, it is highly important to draw students’ attention to the most prevalent mythological and literary eponyms, used in contemporary medical case reports, so they could use them appropriately, as well as with due awareness of the origin of these terms. The study also demonstrated that medicine and humanities are closely related and inherently interconnected areas. We believe that the study of this group of eponyms should be an integral component of doctors’ training and continuing professional education. This will ensure the interdisciplinary and synergic approach in modern medical education, which in turn will promote the all-round development of future healthcare specialists, endowed not only with professional expertise, but also with extensive background knowledge. Keywords: Medical discourse, Medical case report, Eponyms, Term, Greek and Roman mythologies

CITATION EXPORT

Yuliia Lysanets, Olena Bieliaieva. The use of eponyms in medical case reports: etymological, quantitative, and structural analysis. Journal of Medical Case Reports. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13256-023-03895-0

AUTHORS

2 · 1 CENTRES

Yuliia Lysanets, Olena Bieliaieva

1Department of Foreign Languages with Latin and Medical Terminology, Poltava State Medical University, Poltava, Ukraine