Fascial eponyms may help elucidate terminological and nomenclatural development

It has been reported that at least 700 anatomical eponyms were in existence at the end of the 19th century, yet the number of eponyms expressly relating to fasciae is unknown, and these anatomical expressions have yet to be described as a group. This study accordingly aimed to assemble a comprehensive-as-possible list of these terms, to investigate their customary usage, and to consider whether their existence might usefully shed light on contemporary fascia-relating terminological development. A search for fascia-relating eponyms incorporated within a range of English language anatomical and medical publications during the past 400 years resulted in the discovery of 44 eponyms that explicitly refer to aspects of fascia. This article outlines and discusses the origin, meaning, and use of these terms, and concludes that an understanding of the history of fascial eponyms may be of value when addressing contemporary concerns with the language used to describe fascia.