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Nominative determinism redux
NOMINATIVE determinism is the name given by , of the Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors in Dortmund, Germany, to the notion that names influence occupations (17 December 1994). He was inspired by Jen Hunt, who wrote in The Psychologist that 鈥淎uthors gravitate to the area of research which fits their surname鈥� (5 November 1994). She had cited an article on incontinence in the British Journal of Urology by A. J. Splatt and D. Weedon ().
Since then, the phenomenon has garnered mentions in , and 鈥� and, inevitably, randomnesses such as the column in The Times from this year, in which Caitlin Moran discussed 鈥渢he nominative determinism breaks of having something that invokes the phrase 鈥榠nto darkness鈥� right over your lady-area鈥�. How does that work?
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鈥淗ow to make delicious caviar from sparkling water鈥�, reads an email to Feedback. We haven鈥檛 investigated further, suspecting it鈥檚 an attempt to infect us with a computer virus, only pretending to be fruitloopery
Rigorous riparian research
IN 1994 we called for 鈥渞igorous scrutiny鈥� of nominative determinism. Eventually, we found a paper by researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo making a start on that: 鈥溾�� (1 December 2007). And the BMJ has reported a correlation between surnames and health (22 February 2014).
Attempting to leave the subject to develop quietly by itself into an academic specialism, we have frequently abjured and renounced it (26 April 2014). The result is that we have a backlog of 215 nominative nominations.
Focus on optometry
MINING this pile of nominative determinism pretty much at random, we find that the optometrist Hugh Seymour (18 September 1999) is now complemented, in an ad that Peter Duffell sent, by Peter Fogg 鈥� a dispensing optician.
Medical determinism
AND who would be head of pain at in Cambridge, UK? Kate Hurtig, Meredith Lloyd-Evans tells us. Dave Frankland mentions the vet at the Perth Cat Haven in Australia, Dr Pusey. Still on a medical trip, Robin McKellar informs us that his first wife鈥檚 obstetrician was Dr Nurse and his second wife鈥檚 Dr Blood.
Death ray expert zings
WHILE we were writing the above, a colleague sent an with 鈥渄eath ray鈥� laser weapons, quoting one .
Natural science names
AND who, David Smith asks, better to than Robin Frost and Hugo Winter? A colleague sends congratulations on an award to a volcanologist at the University of Bristol in the UK, . Bryn Glover approves of the career choice of Ben Winger, who studies American songbirds (9 August 2014, p 9).
Fornicating fish
IT MAY not just be researchers who are affected, it seems, but also the objects of their study. Barrett DiPaolo points out that the first vertebrate to copulate was the fish Microbrachius dicki (25 October 2014, p 9).
Fink by name
LORD FINK has recently in the UK, quoted as describing his tax avoidance as 鈥渧anilla鈥�. As we went to press, he was not suing anyone for mentioning him in this context.
Legal eagles, other animals
IF LORD FINK changes his mind again, he could possibly engage James Lawless, a barrister who came to Drew Ogden鈥檚 attention when he stood for election in the town of Naas in Ireland鈥檚 County Kildare. James could be instructed by solicitors Wright Hassall (21 June 2008). Sadly, the case will not be heard by the charming Igor Judge, who our editor-in-chief Jeremy Webb put up for Feedback but has since retired as lord chief justice of England and Wales.
Nominative contradeterminism
MENTION of barrister Lawless and the optician Fogg returns us to nominative contradeterminism. David Ridge responded to our last mention (26 July 2014) to suggest it be called 鈥渁blative determinism鈥�, and mused what vocative, accusative, genitive and dative determinism might be. Now Ewan MacGregor tells us that Jeff Fridge manages Inverness Crematorium in the UK.
Indeterminate completism
FEEDBACK readers being who you are, we can complete the set. In between nominative determinism and nominative contradeterminism lies non-determinism. Julian Cockbane asks whether people named Brown, Schmidt and Singh find their careers a bit undetermined. (We dare not ask what Julian does.)
Whistleblowers: don鈥檛 blow it
FINALLY, it is rare that Feedback empathises with UK tax officials. But on 13 February, whistleblower Herve Falciani in which he told them he had information on secret Swiss bank accounts 鈥� including that of Lord Fink.
He sent it from toomuchwalls@yahoo.fr to enquiries.estn@hmrc.gov.uk 鈥� a generic address. It read: 鈥淚 have the whole list of client of one of the world top five private bank. 1/ This bank is based in Switzerland. 2/ I鈥檓 also granted to access to the Information System.鈥� Some colleagues swear they would assiduously follow this up, after considering whether doing so would involve further offences under the . Feedback shamefacedly confesses that we鈥檇 likely have filed it under 鈥渟cams鈥�.