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APPENDIX E

Eponymous Terms

An eponym is a person for whom something is named, and an eponymous term is a term that uses that name or

eponym. For example, fallopian tube is named for Gabriele Fallopio, an Italian anatomist of the 16th century.

In recent years it has been suggested that eponymous terms be avoided because they are not descriptive and

that they be replaced with more informative terms. Such changes, however, occur slowly, because the older terms

are so familiar to those of us who teach. Some of us may even use them as opportunities to impart a little history,

also known as “telling stories.”

In this edition, the most familiar eponymous terms have been retained, with the newer term in parentheses

after the first usages. The list below is provided to show the extent of reclassification of eponymous terms as

related to basic anatomy and physiology.

Eponymous Term New Term

Achilles reflex plantar reflex

Achilles tendon calcaneal tendon

Adam’s apple thyroid cartilage

ampulla of Vater hepatopancreatic ampulla

aqueduct of Sylvius cerebral aqueduct

Auerbach’s plexus myenteric plexus

Bartholin’s glands greater vestibular glands

Bowman’s capsule glomerular capsule

Broca’s area Broca’s speech area

Brunner’s glands duodenal submucosal glands

bundle of His atrioventricular bundle

canal of Schlemm scleral venous sinus

circle of Willis cerebral arterial circle

Cowper’s glands bulbourethral glands

crypts of Lieberkuhn intestinal glands

duct of Santorini accessory pancreatic duct

duct of Wirsung pancreatic duct

eustachian tube auditory tube

fallopian tube uterine tube

fissure of Rolando central sulcus

fissure of Sylvius lateral cerebral sulcus

graafian follicle vesicular ovarian follicle

Graves’ disease hyperthyroidism

haversian canal central canal

haversian system osteon

Heimlich maneuver abdominal thrust maneuver

islet of Langerhans pancreatic islet

Krebs cycle citric acid cycle

Kupffer cells stellate reticuloendothelial cells

Langerhans cell non-pigmented granular den-

drocyte

Leydig cells interstitial cells

loop of Henle loop of the nephron

Meissner’s corpuscles tactile corpuscles

Meissner’s plexus submucosal plexus

nodes of Ranvier neurofibril nodes

organ of Corti spiral organ

Pacinican corpuscle lamellated corpuscle

Peyer’s patches aggregated lymph nodules

Purkinje fibers cardiac conducting myofibers

Schwann cell neurolemmocyte

Sertoli cells sustentacular cells

sphincter of Boyden sphincter of the common

bile duct

sphincter of Oddi sphincter of the hepatopancre-

atic ampulla

Stensen’s ducts parotid ducts

Volkmann’s canal perforating canal, nutrient

canal

Wernicke’s area posterior speech area

Wharton’s duct submandibular duct

Wormian bone sutural bone

Eponymous Term New Term

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