Hello folks!
It’s good to be back! I’ve found it a bit hard to keep up with the flow of funny names lately, as I’ve been immersed in medicine. However, I’d like to take a brief moment to discuss some of the greatest names in medicine that I’ve learned so far.
Geneticist Reginald Punnett was dominant in the field of genetics, but his hairline clearly wasn’t recessive.
Sir Percival Potts – He was the first person to recognize certain carcinogens or mutagens. He noticed a significant increase in cancer rates in chimney-sweeps, and the link between cancer and various carcinogens was found.
Reginald Punnett – He was a British geneticist who co-founded the Journal of Genetics with William Bateson in 1910. His most notable contribution to the field is probably the eponymous Punnett Square, which first year bio students have been grappling with for decades now.
Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis, who lived only 47 years (1818-1865), but accomplished a remarkable amount during that time. The Hungarian obstetrician was one of the first to advocate hand-washing to prevent the spread of disease.
Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, better known as Paracelsus, railed against the ancient ideas of Hippocrates and Galen, who thought health was an imbalance of four humors – blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm. He was one of the first to pioneer the use of chemicals and minerals in medicine. He wReneas also one of the first to describe the dangers of metalworking, and is sometimes credited as being the first toxicologist.
René-Théophile-Hyacinthe Laenne
René-Théophile-Hyacinthe Laennec – a French physician who invented the stethoscope in 1816. It had a trumpet-like end that amplified heart sounds, and transmitted them to the doctor’s ears via an air cavity in the stethoscope. He passed away at age 45 of tuberculosis, a disease that his colleagues diagnosed using a stethoscope.
Fun fact: prior to the stethoscope, doctors used to place their ear up directly to a patient’s chest. Lennec described this technique as “always inconvenient, both to the physician and the patient; in the case of females, it is not only indelicate, but often impractical.” What a gentleman!
The Blog of Funny Names 
Bombastus sounds like a great name for a politician. All politicians, actually.
That is an amazing name for a politician! Surprised we haven’t had more pols named Bombastus already!
When I saw Percival Potts all I could think of was Pepper Potts! I must have superheros on the brain. lol
I’m a little embarrassed that I had to look up Pepper Potts, but know exactly who Percival Potts is. Skewed priorities over here!
had i known him, i would have referred to phil as ‘pat-bvh’ and i love that hyacinth invented an instrument with a trumpet-shaped ending, similar to the shape of a bloom on a hyacinth perhaps?
Interesting, I learned something new today! I didn’t realize a hyacinth was a flower… I just thought it was a weird name, due to the character Hycacinth Bucket (pronounced “Hyacinth Bouquet”) on the British show “Keeping Up Appearances”.
“If, of thy mortal goods, thou art bereft,
And from thy slender store two loaves
alone to thee are left,
Sell one & from the dole,
Buy Hyacinths to feed the soul”
– Muslihuddin Sadi,
13th Century Persian Poet
Hyacinths smell real good.
Splendid medical post and a great haul of funny names.
A pretty impressive literary reference there!
A gal I was much attached to in my youth often quoted this poem.
And she dumped me!
She also liked this poem:
http://www.potw.org/archive/potw29.html
So, maybe I got something out of the relationship, though apparently she didn’t!
hah! well that makes perfect sense then )
Sometimes it surprises me how I know so much trivia, but sometimes miss some basic fundamental life knowledge – if you call knowing that a hyacinth is a flower “fundamental life knowledge”
While Dolly Parton has Laennec to thank for the stethoscope, I have Semmelweis to thank for my OB always washing his hands, thank God. Gives me shivers to think of being the patient with the 5pm appt and no handwashing all day long. Yeesh. And since we’ve discussed old names coming back into style, young breedable couples should start considering Percy as a male name. People will think of the poet Percy Shelley or the singer Percy Sledge. And when you get mad, you could yell, “Percival! Get your bum in here right this second!” Of course, he might get beat up a lot with a name so high-falootin’.
I love the name Percy Sledge! It’s a shock we haven’t covered him yet!
As for people beating up a kid named Percy, I think that’s a case where the Kermit Can Kill Conjecture comes into play. Percy would be hardcore! https://funnynamesblog.com/theory/
I could’ve sworn we had covered Percy, but nope – only a quick mention in the Spooner Oldham post. One to add to the “forthcoming” pile!
Dewey “Spooner” Oldham is one of the greatest names in the history of this bloggggggg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ooh, a monday morning surprise post! Leafing through that book I knew there was plenty of material for medical themed amusement and sure enough – these are great!
Yes, so much material!!!
wowza–you got some chatter going with the medical names, Dave. Who knew? And without a tag of Hot Girls no less 😉
Philippus is my favorite, though René gets points for the accent marks and hyphens. Oh the tragedy of you, another medicine man, not having a funny name.