Etymology

Wernicke's encephalopathy

Today it means: The presence of neurological symptoms — classically, ophthalmoplegia, ataxia and confusion — caused by biochemical lesions of the central nervous system after exhaustion of B-vitamin reserves, in particular thiamine. Full definition →

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The story

Named after Carl Wernicke (1848–1905), German physician.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.