Geographic eponyms: A history of geography in medicine.

ABSTRACT

Geographic eponyms have commonly been used in medical terminology, with diseases and medical entities being named after the place where the condition was discovered (e.g. Bombay Blood group) or invented (Jaipur Foot) or where the disease was first detected (Rocky Mountain Spotted fever) or where a consensus meeting has been held (Banff) or for other reasons (Argentina flag, Congo red stain). In 2015, the WHO decided to adopt a politically correct method to name infectious diseases in the future. We illustrate, in verse form, some of the places that have been used in medical terminology, over the centuries. An accompanying essay explains the specific reasons for the selection of these locales in our vocabulary. Natl Med J India 2016;29166–8