What is in a name? Nothing much, one may argue. But from the point of view of science, it may not be that easy a question to answer.
The naming of two newly discovered plant species from the State after former Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and K.K. Shailaja, a former Health Minister, has, for instance, evoked sharp reactions from senior scientists.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among the politicians who have flowers and plants named after them, but the practice has been relatively alien to the scientific environment in Kerala. The debate primarily surrounds the individual choice of the researcher and whether there is a line which should not be crossed.
Naming new species after political leaders is an unhealthy and unethical practice that should have been avoided by researchers, according to Prof. Oommen V. Oommen, eminent zoologist and former chairman, Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB). He feels that it has the potential to ignite an undesirable competition to have species named after politicians, ultimately leading to polarisation among scientists.
Impatiens shailajae
“While there are no hard and fast rules for naming new species, scientists follow certain dos and donts. One of the principles to be scrupulously followed is avoid anything that would smack of political association or prejudice. There is however a general consensus on naming new species after scientists of good calibre,” Prof. Oommen said.
A. Ajayaghosh, director, National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology under the CSIR in Thiruvananthapuram, concurs that naming new species after political leaders is not a good trend.
“It could reflect the political affiliation of the researcher or his/her aspiration. There are so many researchers who have contributed to science in a big way, naming a species after them would be an honour,” Dr. Ajayaghosh said.
In the case under discussion, the researchers stated that the two politicians were chosen in one case for his contributions to environment conservation, and in the other for her tackling of epidemics/pandemic with a scientific temper, and not for their politics. Commonly, the names of individuals, regions/localities or a specific trait of the plant or animal in question are chosen as the specific epithets. While there are written guidelines to be followed in the naming process, unwritten guidelines also hold considerable sway in the scientific world.
A. Biju Kumar, Professor and Head, Department of Aquatic Biology, University of Kerala, said a scientist had the liberty to choose the specific epithet (the second part in the binomial nomenclature following the generic name) for a species. “There are separate international codes governing the nomenclature of plants and animals. The researcher who makes the discovery has the freedom to choose a name. At the same time, the convention is subjected to misuse if the name is chosen specifically to please a higher-up,” he said.
Even in big research institutions, the choice of the researcher is generally upheld. The Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI) at Palode, for instance, would leave it to the researcher who identified a new species to name it, JNTBGRI director R. Prakashkumar said. Some botanical gardens abroad also had the convention of naming flowers or plants after visiting dignitaries, he said.
