Geswein hole: A fanciful Wikipedian medical eponym for preauricular sinus

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijporl.2020.109958Get rights and content

Abstract

In the English version of the online encyclopaedia, Wikipedia, we find the term “Geswein hole” mentioned as another name for preauricular sinus. On the Wikipedia page, the following note “Geswein, a familial name of German descent” is used as a reference. The aim of this study is to delineate the origin of this eponym. After an introductory compilation of the modern 20th and 21st centuries literature, the research was conducted at three levels: the compilation of all cited references on the Wikipedia page; the systematic study of the first description of this entity from 1864 to 1878, also sometimes termed fistula auris congenita; and the study of German references dealing with this subject from 1879 to 1901. No track of this eponym was found. Geswein hole must be considered a modern fanciful Wikipedian medical eponym! This clearly demonstrates the dangers of using anonymous internet references, notably Wikipedia.

Introduction

Wikipedia is a free collaborative online encyclopaedia, created in 2001, and edited by anonymous volunteers around the world. It rapidly became the most online visited reference in the world with its nearly six millions accessible articles. In its English version, last edited December 2, 2019, describing preauricular sinus and cyst, “Geswein hole” is mentioned as another name for preauricular sinus [1]. On the page, a note is added as a reference stating “Geswein, a familial name of German descent, is sometimes used to describe the anomaly of ‘preauricular sinus (PAS)' because of the inherited condition known to accompany the Geswein family lineage; PASs are furthermore inherited from the supernumerary and predecessing Smith family pedigree. In medical terminology, congenital physical anomalies often receive scientific names that honor a person. A taxon (e.g. species or genus; plural: taxa) named in honor of another entity is an eponymous taxon, and names specifically honoring a person or persons are known as patronyms. Scientific names are generally formally published by the cta trains.” In the April 27, 2019, version, the last sentence was different: “Scientific names are generally formally published in peer-reviewed journal articles or larger monographs along with descriptions of the named taxa and ways to distinguish them from other taxa. The term ‘Geswein Hole’ however, adheres to none of the above criterion.” The German term “Geswein Loch” is also found in the German version of qwerty.wiki [2], but without any additional note. The French term “trou de Geswein” is not found on the internet. In Dorland's illustrated medical dictionary, preauricular sinus (Fig. 1) is defined under preauricular pit as a slight depression anterior to the helix and superior to the tragus, sometimes leading to a congenital preauricular cyst or fistula. It is also known as an ear pit [3].

The aim of this study is to delineate the origin of this eponym. After an introductory compilation of the modern 20th and 21st centuries literature, the research was conducted at three levels: the compilation of all cited references on the Wikipedia page; the systematic study of the first description of this entity from 1864 to 1878, also sometimes termed fistula auris congenita, and the study of the German references dealing with this subject from 1879 to 1901. Methodologically speaking, it is impossible to be confident in having access to all references. Nevertheless, cross matching all references found should at least represent the majority, if not all accessible references and these were compiled. This study will not discuss the pertinence of eponyms in medicine.

Section snippets

Compilation of modern literature

The compilation of the modern 20th and 21st centuries literature found, beside various websites, such as Google (less than 300 entries), Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, often referring to Wikipedia, only two medical articles mentioning Geswein hole. The first is dated March 03, 2017, published in the open access journal, Journal of Medical Science and Clinical Research [4], and the second one dated September 24, 2018, in another open access journal, Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical

Review of the Wikipedia references of preauricular sinus

The bibliography of the Wikipedia page entitled preauricular cyst and sinus, last updated December 2, 2019, contains ten references, two bibliographic texts that are already present in the references and one further reading. A 2015 good quality photograph attributed to Smooth O. is added to the description. In these ten references are four general medical books, three within the dermatology section and one within paediatrics. They all contain succinct descriptions of preauricular sinuses. The

Study of the first description of preauricular sinus from 1864 to 1878

Carl Friedrich von Heusinger (1792–1883) is credited to be the first to describe the preauricular sinus: “The left ear is generally formed regularly, just before the corner a small elevation, before the beginning of the strip a small hole, and between both from the incisura forward for 1 cm length a marked strip of skin.” [10] A few months later, Rudolf Virchow (1821–1902) added: “Heusinger found in a seven years old girl, with peculiar disturbances of hearing, except for the congenital

Survey of the German literature published between 1879 and 1901

During this period, this subject was quite extensively studied in the German literature and thus there are at least 15 pertinent papers or books chapters. Only five texts were found mentioning a family heredity; the first one presenting two brothers [19], a second one describing a family with 9 members [20], a third one depicting some members of the same family with less precision [21]. The fourth and most exhaustive is a dissertation by Petrona Eyle (1866–1945) published in 1891 [22] which

Discussion

The use of the online encyclopaedia, Wikipedia, has become increasingly common with medical students and even fully trained physicians in order to find quick references about a studied subject. With this new trend of searching for references, it is a necessity that the available information is accurate and reliable, and therefore most importantly correctly referenced. In 2014, an article clearly “encouraged journals editors and reviewers to use caution when publishing articles that cite

Conclusion

Geswein eponym is a typical example of the risk encountered in using anonymous sources, such as Wikipedia. In this study, no evidence of this eponym was found. Geswein hole must be considered a modern, fanciful Wikipedian medical eponym! It is certainly not a unique example. A possible improvement would be the mention of the name of the author(s) of the text, thus introducing responsibility and accountability. Another idea could be to change the way Wikipedia information within the medical

Funding

No financial support.

Declaration of competing interest

No conflict of interest.

Acknowledgements

The author thanks Bakir Al-Dulaimy for his critical review and editing of the text.

References (28)

  • C.F. Heusinger

    Hals-Kiemen-Fisteln von noch nicht beobachteter Form

    Virchows Arch.

    (1864)
  • R. Virchow

    Ueber Missbildungen am Ohr und im Bereiche des ersten Kiemenbogens

    Virchows Arch.

    (1864)
  • F. Betz

    Fistula auris congenita

    Memorabilien

    (1863)
  • M. Schede

    Ueber die tiefen Atherome des Halses

    Arch. Klin. Chir.

    (1872)
  • Cited by (0)

    View full text