Medical Eponyms of Greek and Roman Mythological Origin

Medical Eponyms of Greek, and Roman Mythological Origin

Medical Eponyms of Greek, and Roman Mythological Origin The term “eponym” refers to a word or phrase coined from a proper name. A number of medical eponyms are mythonyms based on Greek, Roman or other mythology. Medical mythonyms can be classified according to their medical meaning: • Anatomical mythonyms • Pathological mythonyms • Physiological mythonyms • Psychiatric and psychological mythonyms • Mythonyms referring to medical specialties

Achilles tendon the thickest and strongest tendon in the human body, connects the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus (heel) bone. It is a metaphor for the most vulnerable spot despite overall strength.

Achilles tendon An invincible Greek hero of the Trojan War who was destined to die young. Knowing this, his mother, Thetis, dipped him into the river Styx which was believed to have the property of making a person invulnerable. She held him by his heel, thus leaving a vulnerable area. During the Trojan War he was killed, as prophesized, by an arrow to his heel by Paris.

Arachnoid mater The arachnoid mater is one of three meninges covering the brain and spinal cord. It has a fine spider web-like appearance.

Arachnoid mater According to the myth, Arachne was a mortal who was an unusually skilful weaver and dared the godess Athena into a weaving contest. Arachne wove an exceptional textile which resulted into Athena’s jealousy. The outcome was Athena transforming Arachne into a spider.

Atlas The atlas is the first cervical vertebra of the spinal column, connecting the skull and spine

Atlas was a Titan who took part in Titanomachy (a revolt against Zeus). After the defeat of the Titans, Atlas was condemned to hold the sky for ever.

Cupid’s bow The Cupid bow is a facial feature of the upper lip resembling a bow (philtrum).

Cupid’s bow Cupid was the Roman god of love depicted as a winged boy with a bow

Erogenous Zones Areas of the human body characterized by heightened sensitivity to sexual stimulation.

Eros was the Greek god of love

Hippocampus The hippocampus is a part of the human brain located under the cerebral cortex responsible for memory and orientation

Hippocampus in Greek mythology is a creature having the upper body of a horse with the lower body of a fish.

Hymen a fold of fleshy tissue that surrounds or partially covers the external vaginal opening

Hymen was the male god of marriage, and ceremonies, who inspired songs belonging to a genre of erotic poetry (hymenaios). These songs were sung during the bride’s procession as she was escorted to the groom’s house

Iris a thin, circular structure of the eye, controlling the diameter and size of the pupil and consequently the amount of light reaching the retina.

Iris was the messenger of the Olympian Gods connecting heaven to earth sending messages from the gods to the mortals with a rainbow. It is said that she had beautiful wings and a shiny coat with the seven colours of the rainbow.

Mons Veneris/Mons Venus a rounded eminence, made by fatty tissue beneath the skin, lying in front of the pubic symphysis

Venus was the Roman goddess of love, sex, beauty, and fertility also known as Aphrodite in Greek mythology.

Chimerism/Chimera a single organism composed of cells with more than one distinct genotype

Chimera According to Greek mythology chimera or chimaera was a fire-breathing creature with physical traits of more than one animal including the lion, goat, and snake as one.

Klotho protein a membrane protein whose overexpression is associated with life extension and anti-aging.

Clotho Klotho/Clotho was one of Three Fates, the goddesses who controlled the length of human life. She was responsible for spinning the thread of human life

Panacea was the goddess of universal health. She is mentioned in the Hippocratic Oath. She was believed to have a poultice (cataplasm) or potion with which she healed the sick. Panacea: cure all