title: Medical eponyms.
abstract: Eponyms are a long-standing tradition in medicine. Eponyms usually involve honoring a prominent physician scientist who played a major role in the identification of the disease. Under the right circumstances, a disease becomes well known through the name of this individual. There are no rules on eponym development. It may take an extraordinary period of time, be different in different languages and cultures, and evolve as more is known about the physician or the disease.
authors.affiliation: Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC), Towson, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Robert P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Ferguson
authors.affiliation: Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC), Towson, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thomas
keywords: Reiter's; Wegener's; eponyms; medical diseases; munchausen syndrome