The Enigma of Merlin in Biomedical Sciences: Image, Concept, Term

2 8 Anas asia Sha apko a The Enigma o Me lin in Biomedical Sciences: Image, Concep , Te m doi.o g/10.35321/ e m28-02 The Enigma o Me lin in Biomedical Sciences: Image, Concep , Te m AnAs AsiA shA Apko A Lomonoso Moscow S a e Uni e si y, Philological Facul y, English Depa men ORCID id: h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0001-5378-2729 ABSTRACT This pape a emp s o o e iew how a ic ional cha ac e om he A hu ian my h became ans e ed o biomedical sciences en e ing complex a iance e- la ionship wi h o he e ms in oduced a he same ime. Applying he cogni i e linguis ic me hodology, we i s model he s uc u es o knowledge ep esen ed by he ini ial concep h ough ou lining he concep ual cha ac e is ics. Then we s udy he discu si e ea u es o using he e m “me lin” and pinpoin hose cha ac e is ics ha ge ac ualized in scien i ic pape s. The e m allows o g ea c ea i i y o be unleashed exploi ing hose s uc u es and ans e ing hem o ano he knowledge domain. Me lin as a e m is p e e ed in e iew pape s and seems o se e as a ma ke o some ye un esol ed ques ions o basic science. KEYWORDS: me lin, A hu ian my h, e minological a iance, concep , knowledge s uc u es, me apho . ANOTACIJA S aipsnio ikslas – apž elg i, kaip ka aliaus A ū o legendos pe sonažas bu o pe kel as į biomedicinos mokslus, aip užsimezgan sudė ingiems, a ian iškumu g indžiamiems san ykiams su ki ais uo pa me u šiuose moksluose a si adusiais e minais. Taikan kogni y inės ling is ikos me odą, pi miausia, išski ian są o- kos požymius, sumodeliuojamos pi minės są okos pe eikiamos žinių s uk ū os. Tuome analizuojami disku sy ieji e mino me linas a ojimo požymiai i į a - dijami požymiai, ak ualizuojami moksliniuose da buose. Šias s uk ū as panau- dojan i pe kelian jas į ki ą žinių s i į, e minas eikia galimybių dideliam kū y- biškumui. Te minas me linas dažniau a ojamas apž algose i y a a si ženklas, žymin is am ik us da neišsp ęs us undamen aliųjų mokslų s i ies klausimus. ESMINIAI ŽODŽIAI: me linas, A ū o legenda, e minologinis a ian iškumas, są oka, žinių s uk ū os, me a o a. 2 9Te minologija | 2021 | 28 INTRODuCTION Scien i ic w i ing o he ype o language used in academic publica ions o a ious gen es ep esen s “a o malized and codi ied a ie y o language, used o special pu poses wi h he unc ion o communica ing in o ma ion o a specialis na u e a any le el in he mos economic, p ecise and un- ambiguous e ms possible” (Pich , D askau 1985: 3). This discou se “ ep- esen s knowledge s uc u es o med a a ce ain pe iod” (No od ano a 2007: 139) by he scien i ic communi y and, wha is mo e impo an , i “p o ides a means o knowledge ad ancemen ” in a pa icula discipline (Wood e al. 2001). The co ne s ones o knowledge ans e and i s o - ma ion a e e ms, wo ds “in i s speci ic unc ion” (Винокур 1939) ep e- sen ing he mos condensed packs o p ocessed and cons ued knowledge. Howe e , he s uc u es o knowledge a e in ac only o a ce ain ex en . Wi h he ad ances in science, hey change, mo ph, and ge es uc u ed, emb acing new knowledge acqui ed wi hin he a discipline. Me apho ically speaking, a e m is like bo h a wa e and a pa icle; i is a linguis ic uni and a cogni i e one a he same ime, a s a ic and a dy- namic en i y. The e m is de ined as a “ e bal designa ion o a gene al concep in a speci ic subjec ield” (ISO 1087: 3.4.3) and ypically is “a well delinea ed and clea -cu men al objec wi h well-ma ked on ie s” (Lei chik, Shelo 2007: 93). Meanwhile, apa om ob ious linguis ic ea u es, good and accep ed e ms a e ins umen s o gaining new knowl- edge, i.e. hey a e de ined by heu is ic po en ial. Some e ms could also be much mo e complex, uzzy, and no ully de e mined (Lei chik, She- lo 2007). “The adi ional e minology a gumen ha concep s should be clea ly delinea ed in o de o ensu e unambiguous and he e o e e - icien and e ec i e communica ion is no con incing” (Temme man 2000: 7). This migh be due o he on ological opposi ion o li ing and hus he e e -changing body o knowledge and closed and hus s a ic pieces. The wo d knowledge was used se e al imes in he p e ious pa ag aph on pu pose. I is he mos essen ial componen , hus en ailing he neces- si y o s udy no he exac wo ds hemsel es, i.e. e ms, bu also he discou se e lec ing he way his knowledge is modelled, aking in o ac- coun he human ac o , cul u al, and social backg ound and discou se p ac ices a he gi en momen . Language is undamen ally “an in e sub- jec i e, his o ically and socially a iable ool” (Gee ae s 2016: 527), i easily accommoda es o he ex a-linguis ic en i onmen . Thus, many 3 0 Anas asia Sha apko a The Enigma o Me lin in Biomedical Sciences: Image, Concep , Te m e ms go h ough a long jou ney emb acing his in e subjec i i y on he way. Associa ions wi h his o y and cul u e ge embedded in hei s uc u e on equal igh s wi h a clea -cu scien i ic condensed hough . Ra he , e ms in discou se ep esen no he eady-made b icks o knowledge bu he dynamic and communal aspec s o gaining i . Pa icula ly, “cogni i e linguis ics akes in o accoun agen s’ men al and communica i e ac i i ies inco po a ing social, psychological, p agma ic and o he sides o human in e ac ion” (Mane ko 2019: 52). In ano he insigh ul commen i is s essed ha “we canno s udy a p o essional language wi hou ha ing knowledge abou ways and mechanisms o i s c ea ion and de elopmen ” (Alexee a e al. 2020: 59). As subs an ial esea ch has un eiled, he scien i ic discou se a la ge and e minology (Ahmad 2011; Pe o ić, Golubo ić 2018) in pa icula has ne e been dep i ed o his cul u al-emo ional componen . Medical and psychological e minology has oo s in G eek my hology, and his aspec is well-s udied so a bo h om he adi ional app oach (A hanasiadis 1997) and he cogni i e one (Манерко, Новодранова 2012). Mo eo e , he new millennium has wi nessed ce ain changes going beyond he in o ma ion-based p econcep ion b inging he socio-cul u al na u e o language use o he o eg ound. They a ise om “ he si ua ional, p ag- ma ic and o he ex a-linguis ic cha ac e is ics” (Schube 2011: 29), cog- ni i e aspec s o scien i ic c ea i e hinking (Temme mann 2000) cons u- ing iden i y h ough language means (Komo a 2000; Hyland 2009). Al- hough academic w i ing is conside ed o be mainly in o ma i e, nume - ous c ea i e pa e ns ha e always con ibu ed o he scien i ic p ocess. One o hose ea u es is using me apho s no only o explica e scien- i ic concep s, i.e. he concep ual ones, bu also o a ac a en ion - he no el ones. Me apho s also se e as a ich and a ied sou ce o e minol- ogy. The i al ole o concep ual me apho in science is la gely undis- pu ed nowadays (Алексеева 1998; Johnson 2010; He mann 2013) o i o e s insigh s on how new scien i ic ideas eme ge, how hey a e ans- o med wi h ad ances in he knowledge ield, and how hey a e dissemi- na ed h ough scien i ic pape s and monog aphs. Many esea che s ex- plained he ac ha me apho and analogy a e indispensable elemen s ela ed o scien i ic c ea i i y wi h he a gumen o jux aposing old and new knowledge. “The no el en i ies and o ms in oduced by he heo y become in elligible only i we in e p e hem in e ms o he old en i ies 3 1Te minologija | 2021 | 28 and o ms al eady a ailable” (Ha é 2004). “Scien i ic me apho s a e cen- al o he cons uc ion o models and o he cons i u ion o new scien- i ic heo ies and ha , especially when hey a e a he beginning o hei o mula ion, heo ies should eso o me apho s in o de o p o ide un- de s anding and o allow o ex ac in e ences by using knowledge a ail- able om o he domains” (Rod igez, A oyo-San os 2011: 84). So, he abili y o d aw links be ween he known and he unknown is he i al capaci y o scien i ic hough and a means o knowledge ad ancemen . Me apho amoun s o “ ha ins umen o hough , wi h he help o which we manage o each he mos dis an pa s o ou concep ual ield” (O e- ga y Gasse 1990). The ole o me apho s in e minology o ma ion was also acknowledged (Raad 1989; T e jako a 2013; Temi gazina e al. 2019). A cogni i e me h- odology was demons a ed pa icula ly ui ul in unde s anding why a pa icula image unde goes a me apho ic ans e in a ce ain knowledge domain (Манерко, Новодранова 2012). The impo ance o cul u ally speci ic concep s being used as he sou ce domains in science was s udied o such me apho s as he Rose a s one and he T ojan ho se used in biology discou se (Sha apko a, Mane ko 2019). Sea ching o and making use o an app op ia e me apho in scien i ic discou se is undamen ally abou a c ea i e emo ional insigh . He e I would like o quo e wo scien is s ackling he p oblem om he op-down and bo om-up app oaches. Fi s , he philosophe o language G. Kulie unde lined he ole o emo ional ac o s in scien i ic cogni ion: “The e- lex o no el y in scien i ic ac i i y begins ... wi h an emo ional shock” (Кулиев 1987). The amous physicis , R. Feynman, in one o his lec u es on he na u e o he scien i ic me hod said: “Now I’m going o discuss how we would look o a new law. In gene al, we look o a new law by he ollowing p ocess. Fi s , we guess i , no, don’ laugh, ha ’s he u h”. Bo h scien is s in ac emphasized he impo ance o emo ional impe us/ c ea i e insigh / holis ic image a he hea o u he expe imen , a io- naliza ion, and ca ego iza ion. This may p obably be he same oo o inding he me apho . The aims o his pape a e wo old. Fi s , I would like o show how he well-known cha ac e om he A hu ian my h possessing a high heu is- ic capaci y unde wen an in e disciplina y ans e and became a e m, hus con ibu ing o he scien i ic discou se o biology. Second, I ouch 3 2 Anas asia Sha apko a The Enigma o Me lin in Biomedical Sciences: Image, Concep , Te m upon he ques ion o e minological a iance as se e al o he e ms based on di e en p inciples we e in oduced a he same ime and me lin, a e once being popula , ceased o a limi ed numbe o pape s whe e i u ned ou o be c ea i ely played upon. This piece o empi ical esea ch also aims o add ess he ques ion o c ea i i y in a pu ely in o ma i e scien i ic discou se and i s ole in p omo ing scien i ic ideas. Fo hese pu poses, 2029 pape s we e collec ed om PubMed se ing a co pus and a da abase o pape s in biomedical sciences. The ma e ial comp ises ex s wi h ei he o hese h ee e ms: “me lin”, “schwanomin”, and “N 2 p o ein”. Since he majo ocus o his wo k is Me lin becom- ing i s a me apho and hen a e m, he ho ough concep ual analysis is unde aken p io o discussing he discou se use and c oss-domain mappings. MeRlIN: A MyTHOlOGIcAl cHARAcTeR ANd A cONcePT In his pa I would like o o e iew he li e a y and his o ical con ex and associa ions linked wi h he image o Me lin, he amous d uid o he A hu ian my h. I will be necessa y o u he ou lining he concep- ual cha ac e is ics cons uing i as a concep be o e ou lining he c oss- domain mapping. The me apho iden i ying p ocedu e adi ionally wo ks on wo main le els: he linguis ic and he concep ual one. I has long been acknowl- edged ha a dis inc ion be ween h ee majo phenomena d i ing bo h he iden i ica ion (me ely linguis ic) p ocedu e and he unde s anding o me apho s is i al: linguis ic exp essions, concep ual s uc u es, and he c oss-domain mappings hemsel es. Se e al p ocesses hus go hand in hand: iden i ying he me apho , iden i ying he sou ce and a ge domains, and inally unde s anding he s e ch o discou se – i s communica i e and p agma ic alue. Howe e , when we a e dealing wi h he e ms o ig- ina ing om he ield o a s and humani ies including li e a u e, his o y, my hology, i is especially impo an o ca y ou a ho ough concep ual analysis o he sou ce domain. The applied me hodology was de eloped aking in o accoun he concep ual me apho heo y (CMT) di e en ia - ing he sou ce and a ge domains (Lako , Johnson 1980). Being a sem- inal wo k ha changed he linguis ic and cogni i e linguis ic iew o me apho o decades, i s ill equi ed de aliza ion especially when applied o he complex concep s se ing he sou ce domains. 3 3Te minologija | 2021 | 28 Being ini ially complex images, hese me apho s s ill p ese e much o hei o iginal ich con en based on all he links and associa ions being some imes any hing bu s aigh o wa d. They could be qui e complex o he analysis and ambi alen in use, especially i some o hei concep- ual cha ac e is ics ge missed in his in e disciplina y ans e . The con- cep ual s uc u e as acknowledged in he cogni i e app oach “ ela es o he non-linguis ic knowledge ep esen a ions ha wo ds ap in o and can d aw upon in si ua ed language use” (e ans 2009: 4). Recen wo ks in cogni i e linguis ics a gue he signi ican ole o b oad cul u al knowledge being s o ed and s uc u ed in a ious cul u ally speci ic concep s (Ko- mo a 2005). This s uc u ed knowledge se es as “a undamen al scheme by which people concep ualize he wo ld and hei own ac i i ies” (Gibbs 2008: 3), i p o ides he eady-made concep ual amewo k o ans e ing om one a ea o ano he . The image o Me lin is he mos ambi alen and enigma ic cha ac e in he A hu ian my h, an image ha appea ed in legends sepa a ely om he A hu ian my h, and o ganically me ged wi h he A hu ian my h en iching i wi h Cel ic magical image y. In he o al adi ion, Me lin has exis ed since he 7 h cen u y (Good ich 2002). Acco ding o he i s his- o ical eco ds, Me lin was a young magician Amb osius, bo n om an incubus and a nun, hus de ined by he supe na u al abili y o know hings and no e il in en ions. He could see he unde g ound lake and igh ing d agons ( ed and whi e), p e en Vo ige n om e ec ing a o ess. How- e e , he mos popula e sion o he s o y was p esen ed by Geo ey o Monmou h in he 12 h cen u y “His o ia Regum B i anniae”, whe e he inal combina ion o his o ical, legenda y, and my hological igu es ook place in he single image o Me lin Amb osius – a see , d uid, wiza d, and sage. Me lin became a unique cha ac e in medie al li e a u e, an amalgam o a ious ep esen a ions o p e-Ch is ian belie s and he i s concep ualiza ion o he powe o knowledge. In gene al, he e we e wo main medie al adi ions o Me lin’s desc ip- ion: a d uid-magician and a isiona y-poli ician (Ja man 1960; Thomas 2000). Th oughou he his o y o li e a y inca na ions, he image o King A hu became he embodimen o oyal social powe , while Me lin was he embodimen o powe o mys ical p ac ices, which o igina e om he D uids eligion. An oak and a mis le oe we e as symbols o he D uids ( e lec ed in e ymology o he wo d d u- id “s eng h-wisdom” and as- 3 4 Anas asia Sha apko a The Enigma o Me lin in Biomedical Sciences: Image, Concep , Te m socia ed wi h s eng h and wisdom) (Guenon 1962). This is he Indo- Eu opean ype o he p ies -king, he shaman o holy man, he image o he wild man, he model o he biblical p ophe s (Good ich 2002). His image is a media o be ween di e en wo lds: pagan and Ch is ian, mag- ical and knigh ly, li ing and dead. His ole as a men o o young A hu cons ues he i al componen o he legend. His u he a e is also im- po an ; he disappea s om he A hu ian wo ld a e alling in lo e wi h his emale app en ice – Nimue. Despi e his isiona y abili ies and magi- cal knowledge, he could no esis he cha ms and go apped in a ca e. S ill, i is no dea h in he p ope sense; he hangs a he bo de line be ween he li ing and he dead, e u ning and embodying he a che ype o he e e nal Old Wise man “ he highes and wises esou ces o he uncon- scious” (Gollnick 1990). In he 21s cen u y, when science became so inconcei ably complex ha i is impossible o g asp many o i s concep s wi hou belie ing in hem o assuming hem as holis ic en i ies, he image o Me lin he Sci- en is became he ideal ma e ial o a p o o ypical esea che , i onic, in el- ligen , and a bi mad. The la e is e lec ed in nume ous ic ion and cinema wo ks. Now le us u n o ou lining he concep ual cha ac e is ics h ough se - en lexicog aphic sou ces we analysed (Ame ican He i age Dic iona y o he English Language; Eu opean My h, Legend; Collins English Dic ion- a y; Webs e ’s College Dic iona y; Macmillan Dic iona y; Wik iona y). Fi s o all, Me lin is ine i ably associa ed wi h he legends o King A hu as i is men ioned in six analyzed de ini ions, which poin a he discu - si eness o he image exis ence (Шарапкова 2014). Me lin o igina es and exis s in old s o ies (old English s o ies). Besides ha , he e a e h ee im- po an unc ional componen s. I s magical na u e is p edominan , and he is desc ibed as a magician in ou de ini ions, and as a wiza d in h ee ones. The o he wo componen s o he image being less equen usually occu in combina ion. This is he ole o he ad iso : councelo (2 imes) and ad iso . Only in one de ini ion he noun iend is used, indica ing a iend- ly ela ionship be ween A hu and Me lin. And he ole o he see is e lec ed in p ophe and see lexical i ems. The de ini ions also con ain in o ma ion abou his dea h, namely, acco ding o one o he legends, he was imp isoned by Mo gana/ Vi ien/ Nimue in an oak ee: e e nally im- p isoned in a ee by a woman o whom he e ealed his sec e c a . 3 5Te minologija | 2021 | 28 Since he explana o y dic iona ies o language and cul u e o e only key in o ma ion abou he co e concep ual cha ac e is ics, we u ned o he dic iona ies o associa ions, based on compu e p ocessing o big da a om open In e ne sou ces, as well as classical and mode n English li e a u e. The associa ions p esen ed in he Wo d Associa ion Ne wo k dic iona y used in ou s udy, make i possible o iden i y no only he co e cha ac e is ics o he concep unde sc u iny, bu also i s nea es pe iphe y and pe iphe y. I also highligh s he connec ions wi h o he cha ac e s o he my h (see Table 1). Table 1. The dis ibu ion o concep ual cha ac e is ics (based on Wo d Associa ions Ne wo k dic iona y) MOST FREquENT ASSOCIATIONS LESS FREquENT ASSOCIATIONS LEAST FREquENT ASSOCIATIONS Co e magical capabili ies: Magician, D uid, P oph- ecy, So ce e , Ba d, Hawke , Wiza d, En- chan ed, Ea ed, Pied, Powe ed, Magical, Sage, Magic, P ophe ic, Wiz- a d, So ce y, Owl Nea es pe iphe y: Cooled, Enchan men , Damsel, Engine, Wand, Vul u e, Smiley, P ies ess, Vi ian P ophesy, Imp ison Nea es pe iphe y, gene al cha ac e is ics: Spi i e, App en ice, Bege , Nea es pe iphe y, Space and A i ac s: G ail, Ques , A alon, Scabba d, B i on, Cauld on, Vi a, Saxon, B i ain, Ba on, Legend Co e, o he pe sonages: Lancelo , A hu , Gwen, Lucien, T is an, Pe ci al Nea es pe iphe y, he au- ho s: Monmou h, Geo - ey, Tennyson Co e, magic capabili ies: Spell, P ophe , Fo e ell Nea es pe iphe y, o he pe - sonages: Mo gan, Emma, Lancas e Pe iphe y, ea u es o he wo ld be o e A hu : Chaos, Sickness, King, Fan asy, Nea es pe iphe y, au ho s: Co nwall, Chauce Nea es pe iphe y, a e ac s: D agon, Swo d, Towe s Pe iphe y, o he : En e ain- men , Po ion, Ho sepowe , Ced ic, Macbe h, C uising, Hobby, Boos , Bbc Nea es pe iphe y, he end: Nymph, Ca e, Me maid, P o o ype, Lu e, Disguise, Conju e, Slay,Tailed, Im- mo al Nea es pe iphe y, he space: Welsh, Eu asian, B i anny, Co nish Co e, gene al cha ac e is ics: Mys ical, Pe ilous, Legend- a y, Fi ed, My hical, Sen- ien , Yonde , Righ ul Co e, magical capabili- ies: Wi chc a , Counsel, S one, Al- chemis Pe iphe y, ea u es o he wo ld: Knigh ho- od, Ad en u es, Ch onicles, Down all, Supe na u al, Fai y, Cel ic, Radial Nea es pe iphe y, ge- ne al ea u es: Neme- sis, Rough, A gonau , Th us , P ologue, My hology, Demon, A ac ion, Gods, Likeness, P ome heus, Illegi ima e, Topical Nea es pe iphe y, he end: Dungeon, Aqua- ium, Madame, P ey, Des iny, Veil, Omni- bus, Imp isoned, T e- ache y Nea es pe iphe y, a - e ac s: Bowl, Goble 3 6 Anas asia Sha apko a The Enigma o Me lin in Biomedical Sciences: Image, Concep , Te m This p ocedu e o ou lining he co e and pe iphe y cha ac e is ics o he s udied concep was de eloped on he basis o he adi ional concep- ual analysis (Болдырев 2014) ex ended wi h he analysis o associa ions and encyclopedic knowledge. I o ms a use ul basis o he u he c oss- domain mapping p ocedu e (Sha apko a, Mane ko 2019), image-schema, and he in eg a ed spaces analysis (Шарапкова, Яковлева 2020), espe- cially when we a e dealing wi h a concep ually ich con en . I is clea ha Me lin’s co e cha ac e is ics as a magician, alchemis , and d uid make his image highly use ul o deno ing complex and illusi e en i ies equi - ing concep ualiza ion and ca ego iza ion in science. MeRlIN becOMING A TeRM IN NATuRAl ScIeNceS The 21s cen u y wi nessed signi ican ad ances in s udying he mo- lecula mechanisms unde lying de elopmen al p ocesses and delinea ing biochemical pa hways ha once b oken lead o a ious mal o ma ions. I has become c ys al clea ha he biology o a li ing o ganism is bo h ex emely agile and inc edibly complex ejec ing any mechanis ic sim- pli ica ion. This swi ly de eloping a ea wi h he knowledge acqui ed a a high pace equi ed he whole body o new e ms being p oposed, u ned down, o accep ed. The la icewo k o he biological pa hways equi ed some acili a ing ehicles o unde s and and explica e he science bege - ing me apho s. One o he excep ionally in e es ing cases is he appea ance, a iance, and change o he e m “NF2 p o ein”, 595 amino acid p o ein encoded by Neu o ib oma osis ype 2 (NF2) gene ha was called “schwannomin” and “me lin”. I is a cy oskele al p o ein con ibu ing o de elopmen al p ocesses. In humans i is in ol ed in he pa hogenesis o umo s o he human ne ous sys em as i is inac i a ed o no unc ioning in almos all schwannomas and meningiomas. The i s wo ks on his p o ein appea ed as ea ly as he 80-s and ea ly 90-s wi h pape s published in he mos epu able jou nals – “Na u e” and “Cell” – bo h explaining he choice o his speci ic e minological o ma- ion. Since he p o ein esponsible o he de elopmen o umou g owing ou o Shwann cells was i s ound in schwannomas, i was called “schwan- nomin” – “a wo d de i ed om schwannoma, he mos p e alen umou seen in NF2” (Rouleau e al. 1993). I was also p oposed ha i has umou supp esso ac i i y and su p isingly u ned ou o ha e he seconda y s uc- u e “simila o he s uc u es o moesin, ez in and adixin” (Ibid). 4 3Te minologija | 2021 | 28 (Xiao e al. 2003) is a de ailed e iew o nume ous pu a i e unc ions played by his p o ein in umou ini ia ion and p og ession wi hou spe- ci ically suppo ing he choice o wiza d y in oduced only in he i le. Many o hese unc ions a e jus supposed bu no known o p o ed ex- pe imen ally. Ye i is clea , ha gi en he numbe o unc ions he p o ein can handle and he whole complexi y o hese p ocesses ha nessing nume - ous biochemical pa hways, i s ole could be compa ed o wiza d y. I is a well-known illness o human hough oxymo onically o mula ed by ic ion w i e A hu Cla ke: “Any su icien ly ad anced echnology is indis in- guishable om magic”. I may be e en e o mula ed in o “any inconcei - able complex science could be simpli ied h ough magic hough ”. The pape s add essing he unknown o ye unp o en unc ions o his p o ein clea ly choose me lin as a e m a he han schwanomin accom- panying he ex wi h such wo ds as elusi e, unknown, unelucida ed, mys- e ious, e c. E en o a a ional scien i ic hough , some hing no known eels like mys e ious and magical, like he na u e is s ill hiding i s sec e s om he human mind. I is used in he i les o he ollowing pape s: “Shedding ligh on Me lin’s wiza d y” (Okada e al. 2007), whe e he au ho s wo k wi hin he well-es ablished concep ual me apho o compa - ing knowledge o ligh . This p o ein as con as ed o o he p oduc s o he oncogenes a ec s he malignan p ocesses indi ec ly h ough con ib- u ing o di e en cellula pa hways: 1) o he umo supp esso genes appea o unc ion in p ocesses less clea ly ela ed o con ol o he cell cycle. One o he mos in iguing genes o his la e class is he Neu o ib oma osis ype 2 (NF2)1 gene, which encodes a membe o he p o ein 4.1 supe amily, Me - lin; 2) The mechanism by which Me lin unc ions o egula e cellula p oli - e a ion is s ill unclea (LaJeunesse e al. 1998); 3) The mechanism unde - lying he umou -supp esso ac i i y o he neu o ib oma osis ype 2 (NF2) gene p oduc , me lin, is la gely unde ined (Neill, C omp on 2001). The p o ein was clea ly excep ional in he lis o simila umo p o ec o s and many pape s s ess i h ough di ec compa ison: I became immedia ely clea ha Me lin is no o dina y umo supp esso : i is de oid o any appa en ca aly ic o DNA-binding domain bu displays signi ican homol- ogy o membe s o he ERM (Ez in–Radixin–Moesin) amily o cy oskele al linke p o eins (Okada e al. 2007). The e iew a icle en i led “The umou supp esso p o ein NF2/me - lin: he puzzle con inues” (Ho ens, Kaye 2001) explici ly plays on his 4 4 Anas asia Sha apko a The Enigma o Me lin in Biomedical Sciences: Image, Concep , Te m pa o he o iginal concep ual cha ac e is ics making he p ocess e en mo e complica ed h ough i ing “me lin” in o he ecu en me apho o gaining knowledge like assembling a puzzle. The pape s ha s ess he lack o knowledge p e e he wo d elusi e: Howe e , as ye , how his unc- ion ansla es in o umou g ow h supp ession emains elusi e. Fo a long ime, he unc ions o his p o ein we e no pinpoin ed: 1) The N 2 umo supp esso gene codes o me lin, a p o ein whose unc ion has been elusi e (Kissil e al. 2003); 2) bu he unc ion o i s encoded p o ein, Me lin, emains elusi e (Mccla chey, Gio annini 2005); 3) Al hough he biochemical unc- ion o Me lin has emained elusi e… (Okada e al. 2007). The au ho s clea ly p e e boos ing echniques and choosing s onge wo ds: Un a el- ing he biology o hese umo s helps o cla i y hei g ow h pa e n (de Vi es e al. 2015). The ole o Me lin as a counselo o young A hu o ganizing he O - de o he Round Table and media ing be ween di e en knigh s make he e m excep ionally use ul in desc ibing complex biological pa hways s essing he coo dina ing, coope a ing unc ion as i was done in he ol- lowing pape s: “N 2/Me lin: a coo dina o o ecep o signalling and in e cellula con ac ” (Cu o, McCla chey 2008) and “The me lin in e - ac ing p o eins e eal mul iple a ge s o NF2 he apy” (Scoles 2008). The concep ual me apho s ep esen ed by egula e, a common wo d in biology, a e accompanied by mo e me apho ic exp essions such as dic a e, coope a ing unc ion, emodel he cell-cell communica ion, a mic o ubule s a- bilize , a mas e o ganise . Fo ins ance: Tumo -supp ession unc ions o me lin a e independen o i s ole as an o ganize o he ac in cy oskele on in Schwann cells (Lallemand e al. 2009); Me lin unc ions as a c i ical egula o in S aphylococcus au eus-induced os eomyeli is (Zhou e al. 2021). The bes es o he s uc u e o knowledge is whe he i is p oduc i e o no . O he wise s a ed, whe he any new e ms appea o be o med wi hin he exis ing amewo k. And Me lin as a e m, ha ing ied bonds wi h magic and wiza d y, is indeed being p oduc i e. The 2000s saw he e m “magicin” o appea in he pape “Magicin, a no el cy oskele al p o ein associa es wi h he NF2 umo supp esso me lin and G b2”, which is ano he ac onym ollowing he p oposed amewo k and exploi ing he al eady exis ing s uc u es o knowledge: We epo a no el p o ein as a me lin-speci ic binding pa ne ha we ha e named magicin (me lin and G b2 in e ac ing cy oskele al p o ein) (Wiede hold e al. 2004). 4 5Te minologija | 2021 | 28 Since 2014, he e ha e been much mo e pape s de o ed o sea ching o a ge ed he apies agains he umo s associa ed wi h N 2 gene and i s p oduc me lin o schwanomin. In e es ingly, his p o ein was shown o con ibu e o o he cance ypes and hei p og ession: NF2 mu a ions and me lin inac i a ion also occu in spon aneous schwannomas and meningiomas, as well as o he ypes o cance including meso helioma, glioma mul i o me, b eas , colo ec al, skin, clea cell enal cell ca cinoma, hepa ic and p os a e cance (Pe illi, Fe nández-Valle 2016). The e o e, he e is a slow decline in using he i s e m and p e e ing he second in biomedical pape s. Fo cla i y and uni o mi y some au ho s jus p e e “N 2 gene p oduc ” ha nea ly iples in he pe iod o 2013–2020 (Fig. 1). Me lin seems o be s ill p e e ed in hose wo ks dealing wi h undamen al biochemical p ocesses, de elopmen al p ocesses, oxida i e s ess. Again, in many pape s wo e ms appea oge he and a e in oduced as comple e synonyms like in he ollowing pape s: “Me lin, he NF2 gene p oduc ” (Pećina-Šlaus 2013) o “Role o Me lin/NF2 inac i a ion in umo biology” (Pe illi, Fe nández-Valle 2016). Meanwhile he e m “me lin” s a ed o be ous - ed by Neu o ib omin 2, he e m ela ed o he gene causing all he mal unc ions. Mo eo e , in 2021 he e we e 41 uses o he e m “me lin” as compa ed wi h 34 o N 2 p o ein and only 11 o schwannomin. I seems ha he inal choice o he one and only e m in no made, and his a iance is consciously p ese ed no only o he sociocul u al easons o wo schools o g oups compe ing, bu p ecisely because o he neces- si ies connec ed wi h knowledge o ma ion and media ion in biology. Tha is his complexi y, uzziness, and inde e minacy wo king o heu is ic pu poses wi h sub le di e ences s ill exis ing be ween he e ms. Ano he aspec ha is usually dismissed while discussing academic w i - ing is ha i could ha e inclusions o c ea i i y o some phenomena going beyond he in o ma ion-cen e ed pa adigm. In ou case i is bo h: a he cogni i e le el when new knowledge is being bo n and a he linguis ic le el o media ing his knowledge u he on. The i s le el is di icul o cap u e h ough adi ional linguis ic me hods as only e y in equen ins ances such as he appea ance o he e m “me lin” allow o ge insigh on how he no el ies a ise. Two ideas I quo ed ea lie abou an emo ional shock (Кулиев) and a guess (Feynman) a he e y dawn o heo y o ma- ion a e in ac in good ag eemen wi h he la es neu ological esea ch on c ea i i y: “C ea i e hough also has i al emo ional componen s, includ- 4 6 Anas asia Sha apko a The Enigma o Me lin in Biomedical Sciences: Image, Concep , Te m ing he eac ion o pleasu e ha accompanies no el combina ions in he easu ed AHA! expe ience. The gene a ion o new ep esen a ions in ol es binding oge he p e iously unconnec ed ep esen a ions in ways ha also gene a e new emo ional bindings” (Thaga , S ewa 2011). Bu his mo- men could be aced h ough s udying me apho s a all s ages o knowledge ad ancemen . Meanwhile, when he p o ein is inally unde s ood, he me apho ic po en ial is exploi ed again mos ly in e iew pape s (Table 2). Mo eo e , hese pape s seem o be ci ed much mo e han i is common o he jou nal. I may be pa ially explained by he ac ha he e iew pape s a e ci ed mo e o en, bu i migh also be he c ea i e i le a ac - ing a en ion, hus boos ing he ci e sco e e en mo e. The da a on he impac ac o and ci a ion sco e we e e ie ed om Web o Sciences. Se e al pape s exceed he impac ac o by he ci a ion sco e signi ican ly. Table 2. The mos c ea i e i les in ou co pus wi h he jou nal impac ac o and ci e sco e TITLE JOuRNAL IMPACT FACTOR YEAR TYPE CITE SCORE Neu o ib oma osis ype 2/Me lin: sha p- ening he my h o p ome heus Hepa ology 2011 commen 3 Neu o ib oma osis 2: loss o me lin’s p o ec- i e spell. Cu Opin Gene de 5.9 1996 e iew 44 Magic bu ea able? Tumou s due o loss o me lin. B ain 14.25 2008 e iew 105 The umou supp es- so p o ein NF2/ me lin: he puzzle con inues J Clin Neu- osci. 2.1 2001 e iew 22 Me lin: he wiza d e- qui es p o ein s abili y o unc ion as a umo supp esso . BiochimBio- phys Ac a. 3.4 2012 e iew 23 Shedding ligh on Me lin’s wiza d y T ends Cell Biol. 16 2007 e iew 84 4 7Te minologija | 2021 | 28 TITLE JOuRNAL IMPACT FACTOR YEAR TYPE CITE SCORE Me lin, a «magic» linke be ween ex a- cellula cues and in- acellula signaling pa hways ha egula e cell mo ili y, p oli e a- ion, and su i al. Cu P o ein Pep Sci. 2.5 2010 e iew 108 NF2: he wiza d y o me lin. Genes ch o- mosomes Cance 4.04 2003 e iew 42 DISCuSSION AND CONCLuSION The analyzed case o an image becoming a me apho and u he gi ing ise o a e m being an ac onym in he specialized con ex is pa icula ly in e es ing. I b ings o he limeligh no only he shee complexi y o he changes bu also he ole o me apho s in he ini ial phase o discuss- ing and desc ibing a no el scien i ic concep . Me apho s a e indispensable om popula scien i ic w i ing and communica ing ideas o a b oade audience, ye he e we obse e how he complex mul ilaye ed image was ans e ed om one domain o ano he speci ically o g asp he enig- ma ic en i y o be u he esol ed h ough a ional hinking. This is wha makes he case o “me lin” bo h unique and symp oma ic poin ing o some speci ic pull o sou ce domains alued by science o he heu is ic po en ial hey ca y. The sou ce domains o be used in science a e con- nec ed wi h cul u e, my hology, and li e a u e as hey a e emo ionally ich domains o knowledge. The example o e minological mul i a iance (“me lin”, “schwanomin”, and “NF2 p o ein”/ “NF2 gene p oduc ”/ “neu o ib omin”) is pa icu- la ly in e es ing as h ee e ms go in oduced, used, in e p e ed nea ly a he same ime and wi hin he same knowledge domain. Mo eo e , hey we e used by nea ly he same people in di e en pape s o di e en pu - poses. As Go din s essed in his book on scien i ic english, “scien i ic languages a e no bo n, hey a e made, and made wi h a good deal o e o ” (2015), hus unde lying he signi icance o each change and choice. Gi en he complexi y o he chosen ma e ial, we de eloped he ollow- ing p ocedu e o ou line he concep ual cha ac e is ics o be u he ana- 4 8 Anas asia Sha apko a The Enigma o Me lin in Biomedical Sciences: Image, Concep , Te m lyzed in biomedical discou se. Fi s , he analysis o lexicog aphic en ies o ge he co e cha ac e is ics, hen dic iona ies o associa ions and ency- clopedic knowledge o ob ain he comple e s uc u e o a concep . Then he collec ed ma e ial om PubMed is analyzed o build he key pa hways he o iginal concep ge s exploi ed in scien i ic discou se. S udies o he p o ein me lin a e associa ed wi h molecula oncology, mo phogenesis, and cell di e en ia ion as well as he o igin o mul icel- lula animals om he e olu iona y poin o iew. A he same ime, me lin can play an impo an ole in he in iguing p ocesses occu ing du ing such a gene al biological phenomenon as oxida i e s ess. These scien i ic a eas a e uni ed by he necessi y o elucida e he undamen al mechanisms o cell p og amming and p oli e a ion egula ion. These a e he ques ions wi h many unknown blocks o in o ma ion, no ye o med knowledge. Me lin may no be he key o all hese a eas, bu i seems o be an impo an piece o a puzzle, a iddle, o e en a mys e y. I should be no ed ha he ac onym me lin is o en used in wo ks con aining he mos signi ican and non- i ial esul s, allowing o li he eil o some ye unknown mys e y. So, when he majo i y o ques ions a e mo e o less esol ed, and i is possible o use hese e ela ions in p ac ice (med- icine o ea men ), he mys e y anishes in o hin ai and he e seems o be no need in he e m “me lin” ha ing associa ions wi h he image o a wiza d om he A hu ian my h capable o knowing wha o he people canno . This d i es he heu is ic po en ial o he e m and makes use o he ini ial s uc u es o knowledge and concep ual cha ac e is ics. In his con ex , he ini ial image complexi y ca ying he bu den o cul u al knowledge is no he p oblem o using he e m. On he con a y, i is a way o acili a e he cons ual o his e y knowledge being i s and o emos he communal e o la gely elying on he ini ial complexi y. In mode n science, especially in biomedicine, he knowledge is so unbelie - ably complex ha we a e ine i ably dealing wi h he e ogeneous ne wo ks comp ising humans, he esul s o hei in ellec ual wo k, and a ious a i ac s (la ou 1999). In o de o acili a e science p og ession we jus ha e o eso o all kinds o sca olds media ed by discou se: c ea ing and using cogni i e a i ac s, me apho s, and epu posing men al models, pow- e ul images, concep s. They “a e mo e knowledge-laden, sma and au- onomous” (Paa ola, Hakka ainen 2005: 536). The my hological, cul u al, and li e a y images su p isingly ha e an unp eceden ed heu is ic po en ial. 4 9Te minologija | 2021 | 28 They o e a men al modal ha is complex ye holis ic, mul i ace ed ye s uc u ed, an open and unde e mined, ye ha ing he s able co e. Mos impo an ly i allows o c ea i e, non es ained use and euse o p e ious knowledge, hus s e ching he bo de s o he unknown. Concluding he e ms’ inde e minacy is a boon, no a p oblem o a e m, especially wi hin a pa icula pe iod o knowledge de elopmen . The concep ual s uc u e o he o iginal image benea h he e m plays a huge ole, acili a ing he communal e o s on cons uing knowledge and e en ad ancing i in a comple ely di e en a ea. Speci ic cha ac e is ics ge played upon in each ealiza ion o he e m in he discou se o sci- en i ic biomedical English. The analysis has shown ha mo e complex and undamen al pape s ea u e he e m “me lin” o e “schwanomin” o “NF 2 gene p oduc ”. 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MERLINO MįSLė BIOMEDICINOS MOKSLUOSE: AIzDINYS, Są OKA, TERMINAS San auka S aipsnyje analizuojama, kaip ka aliaus A ū o legendos pe sonažas bu o pe kel as į biomedicinos mokslus, aip užsimezgan sudė ingiems, a ian iškumu g indžiamiems san ykiams su ki ais uo pa me u šiuose moksluose a si adusiais e minais, o bū en su e minu „š anominas“, ku is a si ado ais pačiais 1993 me ais, kaip i „me linas“, a- čiau jį paskelbė ki a y ėjų g upė ki ame žu nale. Iš p adžių abu e minai gy a o uo pa me u i bu o sinonimai, be ėliau juos im a a o i ski inguose mokslo da buose i ski ingose biomedicinos y imų s i yse. „Me linas“ dažniau a o as undamen a- liuosiuose moksluose, o „š anominas“ – biomedicinos s i ies y imuose. Kadangi e - minas „me linas“ susi o ma o kaip a i kš inis ak onimas (angl. back onym) iš e mino „moezino-ez ino- adiksino ipo bal ymas“ (angl. moesin-ez in- adixin-like p o ein) i jam pa adin i inka paslap ingojo pe sonažo a das, pi miausia u ėjome sumodeliuo i p adinę są okos s uk ū ą. Taikydami kogni y inės ling is ikos me odą (leksikog a inių s aipsnių analizę, asociacijų žodynus), pi miausia apib ėžėme pag indinius są okos požymius. Tuome analiza ome disku sy iuosius e mino „me linas“ požymius i iš- sky ėme uos požymius, ku ie ak ualizuojami moksliniuose da buose. Analizuodami isus su ink us pa yzdžius, išsky ėme ke u ias pag indines šio e mino aiškinimo