EDITOR’S NOTE: Like the Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada (TSFC), the NJ Center for Tourette Syndrome & Associated Disorders (NJCTS) also uses Tourette and not Tourette’s when addressing TS.
You’ve probably noticed that there are almost as many names for Tourette Syndrome as there are tics (well, maybe not quite that many). These include:
- Tourette Syndrome
- Tourette’s Syndrome
- Tourette’s disorder
- Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome
- Tourette
- Tourette’s
- TS
- GTS
If you’re grammatically inclined, you may have wondered why some use the possessive form (Tourette’s), while others do not (Tourette), and whether it matters at all.
The truth is, what really matters is that our message reaches as many Canadians as possible: what TS is and what it isn’t. So long as these conversations are happening, that’s great. It’s what’s most important.
That said, we at the Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada always use Tourette, never Tourette’s. It’s our policy (we also never use terms like afflicted, victim, suffering, disease or Tourette child, but those are subjects for another blog post).
Many members of the medical community want to end the use of possessive markers (the ’s in Tourette’s) for the names of disorders, diseases and conditions entirely. Their view is that it’s cumbersome and inconsistent, especially when different terms appear in medical publications, and we agree.
The main issue with using Tourette’s is that Gilles de la Tourette, after whom the disorder named, didn’t even have Tourette Syndrome (unlike, for example, in the case of Lou Gehrig’s disease). Dr. Tourette was the first physician to report it. In this way, the possessive marker is inaccurate and misleading.
So we’re left with Tourette.
We recognize that many members of our community, as well as the public, are used to saying Tourette’s and will probably go on doing so for quite awhile. Again, that’s OK. We’ll all continue to make progress no matter what we call it.
The TSFC has chosen to reflect the current medical direction in our work as we strive to educate Canada about TS to the best of our ability. We hope you’ll join us in the years to come!
