Rehabilitating Romberg

Abstract

Any passing familiarity with neurology outpatient referral letters will indicate the variable spelling of the eponymous sign of “Rhomberg” or “Romberg”. We aim to rectify this misattribution through a brief biography of Moritz Heinrich Romberg (1795-1873), a description of his eponymous signs and syndromes, and some speculations on why his name should have been confused with the rhombus or rhomboid.