Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-26
PERSONAL NAMES
of Common Things
By R. @. Butler

1
familiar to people to-day are named
after persons: diseases, implements of war,
and implements of personal use. Each class
has about the same number of cases, dozen
or SO.
Addison's disease, named for DR.. Thomas
Addison (17o3-IS6o), is disease of the kid
| neys; Basedow's or Graves's is exophthalmic
goiter; Bells named for DR.. Luther V. Bell
| (I8o6-IS62), is cerebral; Bright's, the most
common, is named after DR.. Richard Bright,
who described it in 1897; Brodie's, disease
of the joints, was named in honor of Sir Ben
| iamin c. Brodie, who died in 1862; Charcot's
is a form of locomotor ataxia; Corrigan's is
aortic regurgitation Hodgkin's is pseudo
leucocythemia; Potts is carries of the spinal
cord Raynaud's is local aphyxia; Winckels is
disease of childhood; and Riggs is an
affection of the teeth. Then, paralysis is
accompanied by what is called the Cheyue-
| Stokes breathing which one who has nursed
paralytic will forget.
! If we include the name of every rifle used,
the list of warlike implements will be made
long; for we shall have Winchesters, Schned-
ers Krags, Martini-Henrys, Peabodys, Maus-
ers Mannlichers, Lees, Gras, Muratas, REM
ingtons, and even more-Berdans, Schmidt
Rubins, and others half forgotten But
emitting these, there still are many such
implements that bear the names of their
inventors.
We have the Calling gum named for its
inventor, DR.. Richard Calling; the Maxim
rapid-fire gun, named for Sir Hiram Maxim;
the famous Bowie knife, made first by Colonel
lanes Bowie, who lost his life when the
Mexicans captured the Alamo and slaughtered
the garrison, in March, 1896; the Mimic bullet,
the invention of French ordnance officer; the
| Havelock cloth cover to a soldiers cap which
hangs down behind, and protects his neck
from the sun; the Shrapnell shell, named for
an English officer; and the Coston rocket,
invented by American. Then we have
| the Colt revolver
| Probably a sandwich may be called an
implement of personal use. At all events, not
being disease an implement of war
within accepted limits-it has to take its
place in the third category. 1t was devised
by John Montagu, fourth Earl of Sandwich,
a noted gamester and statesman of the time
of George Ill of England. He invented it
that he might not be disturbed while playing
cards by having to eat regular meals; and
his great invention is said to have helped him
to gamble for twenty-four hours at stretch.
! About the same time that the Earl of Sand
witch conferred his blessing on mankind and
picnickers, Earl Spencer, another English
nobleman, invented a short coat. Most coats
of the time were long, but his new device was
so short that the tails of the undercoat were
seen below it This led wit of the period
to indte this epigram
Two noble earls, whom if l quote
Some folks might call me sinner,
| The one invented half coat,
| The other half a dinner
The plan was good, some will say,
| And fitted to console one;
Because in this poor starving day
| Few can afford whole one
! After these distinguished noblemen, the
| Earl of Peterborough invented another coat,
long and tight; and Mr.. Stanhope devised
gig; Mr.. Tilbury another High boots were
named for, not invented by, the Duke of We'll
| lngton; but the German Field Marshal Butcher
did invent the Butcher shoe, which he intended
| for use by his soldiers
| Charles Macintosh invented the waterproof
cloth and the rain-coats made of it; and it