Dominique-Jean Larrey
Dominique-Jean Larrey (1766–1842), Napoleon’s surgeon, pioneered flying ambulances, triage, and humane battlefield care, earning admiration from all sides.
Category Eponym
Stigler’s Law of Eponymy
Stigler’s Law of Eponymy: no discovery is named after its true originator. Explore its history, Merton’s roots, and modern scientific misattribution.
Max Brödel
Max Brödel (1870–1941), father of modern medical illustration, founded Johns Hopkins’ art in medicine department and pioneered the carbon dust technique.
Jan Evangelista Purkinje
Jan Evangelista Purkyně (1787–1869), pioneering physiologist whose discoveries in vision, neurology, and cardiology shaped modern medical science
Marshall Hall
Marshall Hall (1790–1857): Pioneer of reflex physiology, anti-bloodletting reformer, creator of the Ready Method for resuscitation, and advocate for animal ethics.
James Marion Sims
American gynecologist James Marion Sims (1813-1883) pioneered vesicovaginal fistula surgery but remains controversial for non-consensual experiments on enslaved women.
Emanuel Libman
Emanuel Libman (1872–1946), American internist who co-described Libman-Sacks endocarditis and revolutionised diagnostic medicine at Mount Sinai.
François Dessertenne
François Dessertenne (1917–2001), French cardiologist who coined torsades de pointes in 1966, advanced ECG-based arrhythmia diagnosis with lasting impact.
Pierre Marie
Pierre Marie (1853–1940), French neurologist and endocrinologist; defined acromegaly, described progressive aphasia, and helped shape modern neurology.
Jean-Alexandre Barré
Jean-Alexandre Barré (1880–1967). French neurologist ; co-described Guillain–Barré syndrome; pioneer in vestibular neurology and semiology; eponyms include Barré test and Barré–Liéou syndrome.
William Halsted
William Halsted (1852–1922), pioneering American surgeon, revolutionized surgery with aseptic technique, anesthesia, gloves, and the residency training model.
AF Stanley Kent
A. F. Stanley Kent (1863–1958), cardiac physiologist; 'bundle of Kent', shaped early electrophysiology; pioneered industrial fatigue science