EDITORIAL Tainted eponyms in medicine: the ‘‘Clara’ ’ cell joins

ponyms are a time-honoured tradition in medicine as well as the sciences. Some fields of medicine, such as rheumatology and neurology, are particularly fond of them and the term ‘‘eponymophilia’ ’ has been coined to describe their affinity [1]. Those who like their eponyms argue that their use adds flavour to our daily practice and that they are universally understood. They also claim that, as they are everywhere anyway, change would be impractical [2]. During the last decade or so, the use of eponyms has become the subject of intense controversy. In 2003, PANUSH et al. [3] reported on the biography of Hans Reiter, after whom a form of reactive arthritis was named despite the fact that others had described the condition well before him. Apart from being an outspoken lecturer in favour of ‘‘racial hygiene’’, Reiter served on the advisory board to Hitler’s physician, Karl Brandt, wh