Mallet Fracture: I.F. Busch Fracture, W. Busch Fracture or P. Segond Fracture?

Background. For several centuries, eponyms have been a convenient means of communication between clinicians. For some eponyms among modern surgeons, controversy over author’s priority continues. There is still no consensus on the so-called “mallet fracture”. In domestic and foreign literature, there are several author’s names for this fracture — I.F. Bush fracture, W. Busch fracture, P. Segond fracture. The aim of the study is to collect the most reliable information about the history of the eponym of avulsion of the distal phalanx of the fingers at the site of attachment of the extensor tendon, the so-called “mallet fracture”, to determine and prove the priority of the true author of the eponym. Materials and Methods. A search for information was carried out in domestic and foreign publications, manuals on traumatology and orthopedics, periodicals, Internet resources (eLIBRARY, PubMed, Scholar Google). Results. The list of likely authors of “mallet fracture” includes three surgeons: Ivan F. Busch (1771–1843, Russia), Paul Ferdinand Segond (1851–1912, France), Karl David Wilhelm Busch (1826–1881, Germany). When analyzing primary sources, it was found that for the first time “mallet fracture” was described by the French surgeon Paul Ferdinand Segond in 1880. This fact was also recognized by the German surgeon W. Busch, who a year later published an article on this damage. In the well-known “Guide to the Teaching of Surgery” by Ivan F. Bush, published in the early 19th century, information about a fracture of the distal phalanx of the finger at the site of attachment of the extensor tendon was not found. Conclusion. Taking into account the publications known to date, “mallet fracture” should be called the Segond fracture.