1898-1998: Camillo Golgi and "the Golgi": one hundred years of terminological clones

Brain Res Bull. 1998 Oct;47(3):195-8. doi: 10.1016/s0361-9230(98)00079-3.

Abstract

Camillo Golgi discovered, in 1898, the cell organelle that has been called, after him, "the Golgi apparatus" or "the Golgi complex." Because of the necessity of saving words in scientific literature, "the Golgi apparatus" is nowadays frequently referred to only as "the Golgi" or used in an adjectival form in combination with a variety of terms (e.g., Golgi vesicle, Golgi area, Golgi traffic, and so forth). We present here a search of the Medline database for the years 1967 through 1997, which demonstrates that the eponym has lost all connection with Golgi's personal identity. In addition, the search indicates that interest in the Golgi apparatus is steadily increasing, as evidenced in the scientific literature, and that Golgi's name is much more frequently used in association with the cell organelle than with any of the other scientific contributions of this scientist, including the Golgi impregnation of nerve cells.

Publication types

  • Biography
  • Editorial
  • Historical Article
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Eponyms*
  • Golgi Apparatus*
  • History, 19th Century
  • History, 20th Century
  • Italy
  • Neurology / history*
  • Terminology as Topic

Personal name as subject

  • C Golgi