Table 3 Eponyms rooted in other world mythologies
From: The use of eponyms in medical case reports: etymological, quantitative, and structural analysis
No. | Terms with onomastic components | Number of results in JMCRs as of 2022 | Examples from JMCRs | Reference information | Alternative terms (if available) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Ammonia | 66 results | “High serum levels of ammonia can cause neurotoxicity” [35] | The Egyptian god Amun is the equivalent of the Greek god Zeus in the perception of ancient people. The term is derived since ammonia was extracted near the temple of Ammon in Egypt [37]. | – |
2. | Hyperammonemia | 20 results | “Hyperammonemia of unknown cause in a young postpartum woman: a case report” [35] | – | |
3. | Elf-like face | 1 result | “…clinical findings include distinct facies (elf-like face), cardiovascular abnormalities, growth retardation | “In early Teutonic mythology, elves were supernatural beings of dwarfish form with magical powers and well-known for capricious interference in human affairs” [37] | Elfin (elven) facies (0 results) |
4. | Ondine curse | 1 result | “Classically, it presents as sudden death in infancy because of a failure of autonomic control of ventilation during sleep” (Ondine curse) [35] | In one of the versions of the German myth, Ondine was “a water nymph who was jilted by her husband for a mortal woman. For punishment, she took away his autonomic functions, including that of breathing, so that he had to consciously remember in order to breathe” [37]. | Central hypoventilation syndrome (4 results) |