prion

[Arnold Zwicky]

On Aug 8, 2009, at 7:38 AM, Charlie Doyle wrote:

> "proteinaceous infectious particle," I believe:

so says the OED (draft entry June 2008).

> A catchy enough name in itself! Those are protein molecules that
> replicate though apparently they contain no nucleic acids.
>
> --Charlie
>
>> Date: Fri, 7 Aug 2009 17:45:28 -0400
>> From: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>> Subject: Re: prion
>>
>> Renamed from what?
>>
>> JL
>>
>> On Fri, Aug 7, 2009 at 4:40 PM, Charles Doyle <cdoyle at uga.edu> wrote:
>
>>>
>>> Pondering the (probable) proverb "Rename it and claim it," I
>>> encountered a limerick that is said to have satirized Stanley B.
>>> Prusiner's coining of the term _prion_ (OED n.2). It appears in
>>> Kurt Link, _Understanding New, Resurgent, and Resistant Diseases_
>>> (Westport CT: Praeger, 2007) 163 (endnote 4; the limerick is
>>> printed as prose):  "There was a young Turk named Stan who
>>> embarked on a devious plan. 'If I simply rename it, I'm sure I can
>>> claim it,' said Stan as he pondered his scam."

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