Andreas Vesalius Bruxellensis (1515-1564) is considered to be the father of modern anatomy, remembered because an illustrious life and by his book “De Humani Corporis Fabrica, Libri Septem” published first in 1543. Scores of books, translations, articles, and analyzes of his work have been published in the over 500 years since his birth.

With such an incredible pedigree we would expect his name to be attached to more than a few anatomical structures, many of which were first described in his opus magnus, the “Fabrica”, I wonder why this is not so. It is true that modern anatomy is trying to move from eponyms to more descriptive anatomical terms. Still, there are many that will not go away, as is the famous ligament of Treitz, or the sphincter or Oddi.

Today there is only one recorded eponym for Andreas Vesalius, the os vesalianum, a rare accessory bone in the foot located proximally to the base of the fifth metatarsal. It is usually asymptomatic, but in rare cases it can cause pain. It is formed by the failed fusion of the secondary ossification center of the fifth metatarsal.

Reviewing history, I was able to find other references to Andreas Vesalius eponyms or potential eponyms, now in disuse or misnamed:

- The vermiform appendix. Although called by many just “the appendix”, this structure is mentioned, but not named, by Jacobo Berengario da Carpi in 1524. It was Andreas Vesalius who first described it as an appendix, suggested it looked like a worm (Lat: vermis) calling it the “vermiform appendix”.

- The ligamentum suspensorium Vesalii or crural arch. First described by Giovanni Baptista Morgagni (1682-1771), it was named in honor of Vesalius by Dr. Laurentii (Lorenz) Heisters in his “Compendium Anatomicum” published in 1756. Other authors point to Gabrielle Fallopius as the first to describe this structure in 1561, although he did publish later than Vesalius (1543). Although named after Vesalius, it was later named after Francois Poupart who described it in 1695. You probably know this structure as the inguinal ligament.

-The ligamentum teres femoris. The round ligament of the femur was also first described by Vesalius in 1543.

NOTE: If you have other structures that have been named after Vesalius, please let me know by clicking here.

Sources:
1. “A Rare Cause of Foot Pain with Golf Swing. Symptomatic Os Vesalianum Pedis—A Case Report” Petrera, M et al. Sports Health. 2013 Jul; 5(4): 357–359.
2. “Andreas Vesalius’ 500th Anniversary: First Description of the Mammary Suspensory Ligaments” Brinkman RJ, Hage, JJ. World J Surg (2016) 40:2144–2148
3. “Compendium Anatomicum” Heisters, L. 1756 (German)
4. “Anatomy: An Encyclopedic Reference to the Language of Anatomy and Neuroanatomy. It Provides the Fascinating Origin of Terms and Biographies of Anatomists/Physicians Who Originated Them” Bergman, RA, Afifi, AK 2016

UPDATED: From the Greek [ep(i)] meaning "outer, above, or upon", and the Greek suffix [o-nym] meaning "name". The word [eponym] refers to a person's name becoming attached to an anatomical location or surgical procedure. For centuries it has been the custom to honor or remember someone by attaching their name to a structure, location, procedure, or maneuver.

This has changed as anatomists tend now to give locations and structures descriptive terms. An example of this would be the "Ampulla of Vater" named after the German anatomist Abraham Vater (1684-1751) described today in anatomical texts as the "hepatopancreatic ampulla". The controversy on using eponyms or not goes on...

There are many eponymical terms in the medical arena; following are some of them, click on the links for additional information:

• Hesselbach’s triangle: Named after Franz Kaspar Hesselbach (1759-1816) (see yellow insert in superior image)
• Spigelian line (linea semilunaris): Site for an Spigelian hernia, named after Adrian Van Der Spigelius (1578-1625) (see blue arrow in inferior image)
• Fallopian tube: Named after Gabrielle Fallopius (1523-1563)
• Cooper's pectineal ligament. Named after Sir Astley Paston Cooper (1768-1841)
• Hartmann's procedure: A two-stage colon resection and anastomosis. Named after Prof. Henri Hartmann (1860-1952), a French surgeon.
• Heimlich's maneuver:  Named after Dr. Henry J. Heimlich (1920 - )
• Ligament of Treitz: Named after Václav Treitz (1819 - 1872), a Czech pathologist.

If you want to see a listing of the eponyms in this website, click here.

Here is an interesting article on eponyms by Ilana Yurkiewicz published on 11/15/2012 in Scientific American: "Modern medical terms are still named after Nazi doctors. Can we change it?". It is interesting and thougthful reading.

PERSONAL NOTE: Many anatomists today are actively trying to eliminate eponyms from anatomical, medical, and surgical books. For me, this eliminates the interest of learning about the people who either first described these structures or procedures, which is one of the objectives of this website. I wonder (and this is a tongue-in-cheek comment) if the reason for this desire to eliminate eponyms is because there are so many attached to anatomical structures that there is no place for their own names! When history has forgotten about the original eponyms maybe we will see new ones with the names of modern anatomists! I do not worry, my name is attached to the "Ligaments of Miranda". Dr. Miranda

Superior image property of: CAA.Inc.. Artist: M. Zuptich.
Inferior image property of:CAA.Inc.. Artist:D.M. Klein

Kernicterus is a disorder where excess bilirubin accumulates in the deep neural tissues of the brain and can cause brain damage in the newborn.

It is characterized by jaundice and a limpness of the newborn, devoid of energy. Can present with seizures, convulsions, and muscle spasms.

This condition is treatable and requires awareness from the parents if yellowness of the skin (jaundice) is detected along with the above-mentioned signs in the early days post-partum. There are other signs not mentioned in this article

The word [kernicterus] comes from the German word [kern], meaning “nucleus” or “core”. In this particular word the term kern refers to the fact that one of the most importantly affected brain structures in kernicterus are the basal ganglia of the brain (also known as the "central nuclei", found at the "core" of the brain. It also includes the word [icterus] from the Greek word [ικτερός] pronounced (ikterós). The word [icterus] in Greek was originally used to denote a yellow bird, and is now used to denote the yellow color of jaundice.

 
Click on the image for a larger version. 

Sources:
1. Clayman, L. "The AMA Encyclopedia of Medicine" 1989. Random House, NY
2. “The Origin of Medical Terms” Skinner HA 1970 Hafner Publishing Co.

Thanks to Jackie Miranda-Klein for her contribution suggesting this word.

The term [parenchyma] is a Greek term (παράένχέω). Its origin and meaning have little relation to the medical use of the term. The word means "that what is poured" or to "pour in". The actual definition of the term is "the proper mass of a solid organ". If someone refers to the "liver parenchyma", they are referring to the hepatic tissue, so it is with any other solid organ.

The etymology of the word is obscure and reflects ancient physiological theories and history. Vesalius mentions that the word was introduced by Erasistratus circa 300BC. He thought that the blood was "poured" into the organ and then this poured fluid would congeal to form the organ's proper mass. With time this concept was abandoned, but the word persisted to its modern meaning.

Interesting, there are many which accentuate the word wrongly. The accent or stress should be on the letter "e" and not on the letter 'y", so it should be pronounced "parénchyma"