The Czech Republic is alandlocked country in Central Europe with estimated population of 10,513,209. It is ranked as the third most peaceful country in Europe and most democratic and healthy (by infant mortality) country in the region [1]. Its official language Czech. It became a member of the European Union in 2004 [1]. There are many medical eponyms originated from Czech Republic [2]. In Table I [3-16], we highlighted on selected eponyms, in dermatology literature linked to Czech Republic.
|
Eponyms in the dermatology
literature linked to Czech Republic
|
Remarks
|
|
Ascher syndrome [3-5]
|
Ascher syndrome is a rare disease described by Karl Wolfgang Ascher (1887-1971), (Fig. 1), an ophthalmologist from Prague, in 1920. It presents as blepharochalasis, double lip and nontoxic thyroid enlargement. The thyroid enlargement is not present in all cases of this syndrome. The syndrome is often undiagnosed because of its rarity.
|
Figure 1. Karl Wolfgang Ascher (1887-1971)
|
|
|
Bednar tumor [6]
|
It is a name given to the pigmented type of Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP). DFSP is a locally aggressive soft tissue neoplasm with intermediate- to low-grade malignancy. Bednar tumor is named after a well-known Czech pathologist, Blahoslav Bednar (1916-1998) (Fig. 2).
|
Figure 1. Blahoslav Bednar (1916-1998). Reproduced from reference number 6.
|
|
|
Giardia lamblia [7,8]
|
The trophozoite form of Giardia was first observed in 1681 by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek in his own diarrhea stools. The organism was again observed and described in greater detail by Vilém Dušan Lambl in 1859, who thought the organism belonged to the genus Cercomonas and proposed the name Cercomonas intestinalis. His name is still sometimes attached to the genus or the species infecting humans. Thereafter, some have named the genus after him while others have named the species of the human form after him Giardia lamblia.
The genus was chosen to honour Professor Alfred Mathieu Giard of Paris. Alfred Mathieu Giard (1846–1908) was a French zoologist. Vilém Dušan Lambl (1824-895), (Fig. 3) was a Czech physician from Letina, Kreis Pilsen, Bohemia.
|
Figure 3. Vilém Dušan Lambl (1824-1895)
|
|
|
Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome [9-11]
|
It is a rare multisystemic, disorder characterized by oculocutaneous albinism, and a bleeding
diathesis, sometimes accompanied by immunodeficiency and other features. Named for 2 Czech internists; Frantisek Hermansky (1916-1980), (Fig. 4) and Pavel Pudlak (1927-1993), (Fig. 5). Pudlak served as chairman of the Czechoslovak Society of Hematology in the years 1982-1986. Along with F. Heřmanským, he is awarded State Prize for the discovery and Hermansky Pudlak syndrome.
|
Figure 4. František Heřmanský (1916-1980)
|
Figure 5. Pavol Pudlak (1927-1993)
|
|
Neu-Laxova syndrome [12,13]
|
It is a rare lethal congenital disorder involving multiple systems. Intrauterine growth retardation, ichthyosis, microcephaly, abnormal facial findings and limb contractures are its key features.It is named after, Renata Laxova, who was, a Czech-American human geneticist and Richard L. Neu (1936-2007).
|
Rickettsia prowazekii [14-16]
|
It is a species of gram negative, obligate intracellular parasitic, aerobic bacteria that is the
etiologic agent of epidemic typhus, transmitted in the feces of lice. It is discovered by, Stanislaus von Prowazek, (1875-1915), (Fig. 6), who was a Czech zoologist and parasitologist, who along with Henrique da Rocha Lima (1879-1956), who was a brazilian pathologist. Prowazek studied epidemic typhus in Serbia (1913) and Istanbul (1914). Later, while Prowazek and Rocha Lima were working in a German prison hospital, they both became infected with typhus. Prowazek died soon afterwards on February 17, 1915. Rocha Lima named the infectious agent of epidemic typhus- Rickettsia prowazekii after his colleague.
|
Figure 6. Stanislaus von Prowazek (1875-1915)
|
|
Table I. Selected Eponyms in the dermatology literature linked to Czech Republic
REFERENCES
1. Czech Republic.Wikipedia® [Internet]. Wikimedia Foundation. [Updated 1 May 2013; cited 1 May 2013]. Available from: http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_Republic
2. Steiner I: [Czech eponyms in pathology]. Cesk Patol. 2013;49:51- 4.
3. Burian HM: Karl Wolfgang Ascher, MD. Trans Am Ophthalmol Soc. 1971;69:6-9.
4. Kurz O: [In memoriam Karl Wolfgang Ascher]. Klin Monbl Augenheilkd. 1972;161:126-8.
5. Ramesh BA: Ascher syndrome: Review of literature and case report. Indian J Plast Surg. 2011;44:147-9.
6. Al Aboud K: Blahoslav Bednar (1916-1998) and the tumor which bears his name. Our Dermatol Online. 2012;3:239-40.
7. Kilian J: [110th anniversary of the death of the physician and patriot Vilém Dusan Lambl (1824-1895)]. Cas Lek Cesk. 2005;144:847-8.
8. Iglesias Hernández T, Almannoni SA, Rodríguez ME, Sánchez Valdés L, Pupo DM, Manzur Katrib J, et al: [Knowledge, perceptions and practice of dermatologists with respect to Giardia lamblia infection]. Rev Cubana Med Trop. 2010;62:36-41.
9. [No authors listed]: Dr. Frantisek Hermansky (1916-1980)]. Cas Lek Cesk. 2006;145:976-7.
10. [No authors listed]: [The 50th anniversary of Professor Pavel Pudlák]. Vnitr Lek. 1977;23:1023-4.
11. Carmona-Rivera C, Golas G, Hess RA, Cardillo ND, Martin EH, O’Brien K, Tsilou E, et al: Clinical, molecular, and cellular features of non-Puerto Rican Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome patients of Hispanic descent. J Invest Dermatol. 2011;131:2394-400.
12. Carder KR, Fitzpatrick JE, Weston WL: What syndrome is this? Neu-Laxova syndrome. Pediatr Dermatol. 2003;20:78-80.
13. Ugras M, Kocak G, Ozcan H: Neu-Laxova syndrome: a case report and review of the literature. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2006;20:1126-8.
14. Jaenicke L: Stanislaus von Prowazek (1875-1915)–prodigy between working bench and coffee house. Protist. 2001;152:157-66.
15. Andersson JO, Andersson SG: A century of typhus, lice and Rickettsia. Res Microbiol. 2000;151:143-50.
16. Dyk V, Eichler W: [In memory of Stanislav Prowazek on his 100th birthday anniversary]. Angew Parasitol. 1978;19:230-2.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Comments are closed.