EPONYMS IN THE FIELD OF MEDICINE AND PAEDIATRIC DENTAL MEDICINE IN BULGARIAN AND ENGLISH

Abstract

Introduction. Eponyms have been an inseparable part of medicine ever since the science exists. The need to name diseases and conditions after the physicians who came upon them and explored them arose (e.g., Addison’s disease, Cushing syndrome etc). This method of term formation continues to be employed even nowadays and its main advantage is that it facilitates remembering the condition. The purpose of the present paper is to establish the main principles of formation of eponyms and to compare them within the Bulgarian, English and Latin terminology. Another comparison which is intended is the use of eponyms in clinical medicine and clinical paediatric dental medicine. Background and motivations. The purpose of eponyms is to name diseases and conditions and to facilitate remembering. However, there are underlying principles of term formation and usage in the different fields of medicine which need to be clarified and traced. Methodology. The  main   methods   used   are   lexicographical   excerption   and comparative analysis. The eponyms are classified according to the manner of their formation and usage. The expected results are related to the differences in the use of eponyms in the medical terminologies of Bulgarian and English clinical setting and to compare those to their source languages- Latin and ancient Greek.