title: Thomas Hodgkin.
abstract: In the general field of medicine, more so than in any other occupation; we use eponyms in our everyday work. An eponym comes from the Greek word for a name. It is used, often, to commemorate the person or persons responsible for the first description of a disease, discoverer of cause of an illness, or the developer of an operation or intervention. Eponymous terms are used constantly in the operating suite area; we have already published in this journal a whole series of eponyms devoted to surgical instruments and appliances--Spencer Wells' forceps, Cushing's clips and so on.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of London, Guy's Campus, London SE1 1UL.
authors.forename: Harold
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ellis
mesh_terms: D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D008131:London; D013525:Surgical Instruments; D009626:Terminology as Topic