Aneponym is a phrase that is derived from or based on a person's name.[1]Medical conditions are often named after the person who first described the disorder and can also be named after the first person in whom the disorder presented or the area in which it first appeared.[2][1] Germany lost many scientists as a result of thepersecution ofJewish people, andothers, duringWorld War II. Many Austrian and German doctors participated inNational Socialist "euthanasia" initiatives. Medical professionals have recently grown increasingly conscious of themoral dilemma posed by eponyms originating from Nazi scientists and collaborators.[3]
Because of tradition and lack of accepted substitutes, eponyms remain in use today despite some arguing that they should be abandoned.[1][4] Eponyms frequently add historical background to the description and comprehension of the ailment, connecting it to sociological occurrences,socioeconomic situations, andtechnological advancements.[1]
The following eponyms are those named after people who were associated with the Nazi party or whose research was based on victims of the Nazi regime.
| Term | Meaning | Named after | Replacement term | Nazi association of term | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asperger syndrome | Developmental disorder that causes difficulties withsocial skills and repetitive behaviours | Hans Asperger | Autism spectrum disorder | Asperger, in an attempt to gain political status, joined organizations associated with theNazi Party. While Asperger's views on Jewish people remain unclear, he oftenpathologized the response Jewish children in his clinic had to the persecution they endured. In 1942, Asperger helped screen residents of a home for disabled children. Asperger assisted in determining the prognosis of the children, choosing which children were "uneducable". The children who were seen as "uneducable" were later "euthanized". | [5] |
| Clara cells | Type ofepithelial cell in therespiratory system that does not havecilia ormucus and helps withsecretion | Max Clara | Club cells | Clara, a Germananatomist, was an outspoken member of the Nazi party and was arrested by theUnited States Army for such in 1945. Clara used his political power to further his career. During his time atLeipzig University, Clara was involved in university politics such as using his political opinions to persuade others to decide who should getscholarships and jobs. During his studies inLeipzig, such as his finding of club cells, Clara used the tissue of executed prisoners fromDresden. Not only did Clara use these bodies for research, but he also advocated for laws to be changed so that researchers could use bodies for research against a family's wishes. Clara and his colleagues also experimented on prisoners who had been sentenced to death. | [6] |
| Cauchois-Eppinger-Frugoni syndrome | Blood clot in the mainportal vein or its branches inside theliver | Hans Eppinger | Portal vein thrombosis | Eppinger, an Austrianinternist, was aNazi doctor. Upon being summoned to theNuremberg trials, he died by suicide. | [7] |
| Eppinger's spider nevus | Type oftelangiectasis with a central red spot and thin lines spreading outward like a spider's web | Spider nevus orspider angioma | |||
| Hallervorden-Spatz syndrome | Raregenetic disorder caused by mutations in thePANK2 gene | Julius Hallervorden | Pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration | Hallervorden was apsychiatrist who took part inAktion T4, an adult "euthanasia" program. Hallervorden used the program to gain access topost-mortem brains for his research. He helped coordinate the program and went to the "killing centres" to arrange his acquisition of brains from victims after they were killed. | [8] |
| Hugo Spatz | Spatz, a friend and coworker of Hallervorden, performed autopsies and research on victims of a euthanasia program. | [9] | |||
| Spatz-Stiefler reaction | Paralysis agitans reaction | Paralysis agitans reaction | |||
| Beck-Ibrahim disease | Rarefungal infection of the skin, usually affectingpremature babies | Murad Jussuf Bey Ibrahim | Congenital cutaneous candidiasis | Ibrahim was an Egyptianpediatrician who studied and worked inBerlin. Ibrahim participated in theNazi eugenics program where he played a role in killing mentally and physically disabled children. | [10] |
| Reiter's disease | Inflammatory arthritis triggered by an infection | Hans Conrad Julius Reiter | Reactive arthritis | Reiter was a member of the Nazi party and served as the president of the Reich Health Office. Throughout World War II, he sanctioned experimentation on those inconcentration camps. | [11] |
| Van Bogaert-Scherer-Epstein syndrome | Rare but treatable inherited disorder affectingbile acid metabolism | Hans Joachim Scherer | Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis | During Scherer's work at the Neurology Institute inBreslau, Silesia, he participated in the analysis of brains from euthanized children at the Loben Psychiatric Clinic for Youth. | [12] |
| Seitelberger disease | Neurodegenerative disorder that manifests early in life and progresses rapidly, leading to early death | Franz Seitelberger | Infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy | While Seitelberger was not an active Nazi, he benefited from the Nazis' scientific practices. Seitelberger did research on euthanized victims and studied alongside Hallervorden. | [13] |
| Sudanophilic leukodystrophy of the Seitelberger type | A fatalbrain disorder where myelin is lost due to abnormalprotein folding, affecting certainbrain cells | Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease | |||
| Goebell-Stoeckel-Frangenheim operation | Surgery for urinarystress incontinence | Walter Stoeckel | N/A | While Stoeckel was not a direct participant in theNazis' crimes against humanity, he assisted theNazi regime. Stoeckel was responsible for the firing of Jewish physicians while he served as the president of the German Society of Gynecology. | [14] |
| Kelly-Stoeckel suture | Operation for urinary stress incontinence | Anterior colporrhaphy | |||
| Schauta-Stoeckel operation | Radicalvaginal hysterectomy | N/A | |||
| Wegener's granulomatosis | Rareautoimmune disease that causesinflammation in blood vessels,lung nodules (granulomas), andkidney disease | Friedrich Wegener | Granulomatosis with polyangiitis | Wegener was a member of several Nazi organizations such as theNational Socialist German Workers' Party, theStorm Troopers, and theReich Air Protection League before World War II. In 1941 and 1942, Wegener made oaths of allegiance to Adolf Hitler saying
| [15] |
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