Tay-Sachs disease

~noun

Entry: a hereditary disease that affects young children almost exclusively of eastern European Jewish descent, in which an enzyme deficiency leads to the accumulation of gangliosides in the brain and nerve tissue, resulting in mental retardation, convulsions, blindness, and ultimately, death.

Etymology: Named after British physician W. Tay (d. 1927) and American neurologist B. Sachs (d. 1944).

@ Milton-Kindersley Advanced Dictionary