abstract:Originating within astronomy as a technical term in the first half of the 18th century, the term “personal equation” spread into a litany of other fields including medicine, where it was used widely and variously from the late 19th century to the middle of the 20th century. We explore the personal equation in the medical literatures of the United States and Britain through a systematic analysis of over 700 articles in four prominent medical journals in conjunction with additional relevant source materials. After tracing the term’s dispersion from astronomy into medically allied fields, we examine its striking polysemy while using its rich usage as a lens to examine prevailing tensions within contemporary American and British medicine. Stretching from patient and clinician variability to observer variability and error, the personal equation’s various meanings reflect debates about the art and science of medical care that persist into the present day.

中文翻译：

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美英医学中“个人方程”的兴衰，1855-1952

摘要：起源于 18 世纪上半叶的天文学中的一个技术术语，“个人方程”一词传播到包括医学在内的其他领域，从 19 世纪末到中叶，它被广泛和多样地使用。 20 世纪。我们通过系统分析四家著名医学期刊上的 700 多篇文章并结合其他相关来源材料，探索美国和英国医学文献中的个人方程。在追踪该术语从天文学到医学相关领域的分布之后，我们研究了其惊人的多义性，同时利用其丰富的用法作为镜头来研究当代美国和英国医学中普遍存在的紧张局势。从患者和临床医生的变异性到观察者的变异性和误差，