- A dictionary of medical eponyms

Karnofsky scale

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Index for clinical estimate of a patient’s physical state, performance, and prognosis after a therapeutic procedure, and for determining a patient's suitability for therapy.

100% perfectly well
90% Minor symptoms - can live a normal life.
80 % Normal activity with some effort
70% Unable to carry on normal activity but able to care for oneself
60% Requires occasional help with personal needs
50% Disabled
40% The patient needs nursing assistance and medical care, but is not hospitalised
30% Severely disabled, in hospital
20% Very sick, active support needed
10% Moribund
0% Death

The Karnofsky scale was developed in the 1940s by David A. Karnofsky and Joseph Burchenal as an attempt to measure the more 'subjective' side of the outcome of cancer treatment.

What is an eponym?

An eponym is a word derived from the name of a person, whether real or fictional. A medical eponym is thus any word related to medicine, whose name is derived from a person.

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Whonamedit.com is a biographical dictionary of medical eponyms. It is our ambition to present a complete survey of all medical phenomena named for a person, with a biography of that person.

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This survey of medical eponyms and the persons behind them is meant as a general interest site only. No information found here must under any circumstances be used for medical purposes, diagnostically, therapeutically or otherwise. If you, or anybody close to you, is affected, or believe to be affected, by any condition mentioned here: see a doctor.