Presidential address: Eponyms in biliary tract surgery.

A selected group of men whose eponyms are currently used in biliary tract surgery are described. The eponyms chosen comprise two areas: gross anatomy (Glisson, Wirsung, Santorini, Winslow, Heister, and Vater) and operative anatomy (Kocher, Courvoisier, Morison, Hartmann, Calot, Roux, and Oddi). A brief review of biliary tract disease from antiquity until the 17th century places these men in proper historical sequence. A condensed biographical sketch of each man's life and work is provided and a few closing comments are made about eponyms.