The Ezekiel name comes from a long and distinguished lineage of Iraqi Jews who lived in Baghdad for more than a thousand years before being dispersed around the world in the early part of the 20th century. Physicians, attorneys, merchants, scientists, bankers, professors and rabbis have proudly borne the name.
Alas, I now discover that one “Eugene,” the anatomy lab technician depicted in Ronald Ruskin's story about medical school,1 chose the name Ezekiel for the orangutan skeleton that hung in the laboratory. Ah, the ignobility of it all. I can only hope that Ezekiel the orangutan was a giant among primates.
Dan Ezekiel Physician Vancouver, BC
Reference
- 1.Ruskin R. The anatomy museum. CMAJ 2003; 168 (2):203-4.