Bovie® is a registered trademark When a doctor says pass me the bovie, he is using a generic term incorrectly, because Bovie® is a registered trademark of Bovie Medical Corporation. The reason for this improper usage goes back to the invention of electrosurgical equipment and the world of electrosurgery by William T. Bovie. Bovie was a Harvard PhD who along with neurosurgeon Dr. Harvey Cushing who performed the first procedure, and together brought this wonderful invention to life in 1926. While Cushing had some products named after him, Bovie became the term used most commonly for any electrosurgical generator or accessory used with the unit.
Today, with electrosurgery used in 80% of all operating room procedures, the term Bovie is misused frequently. There are of course other terms we use without thinking is this correct according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Give me a Coke® in the south could mean any soft drink, but the Coca Cola® Company who owns this trademark has done a wonderful job in making sure if a restaurant doesn't serve Coke, that they tell you so. When they say we have Pepsi®, will that be ok? My response is always No, I will have iced tea. Personally, I don't like the taste of Pepsi. Other daily improper usages that come to mind is Kleenex® for any tissue product. Xerox® has gone away from our daily language and we just say make a copy. But if you are going to look something up, then you are probably going to Google® that. In the world of office based high frequency desiccation, a doctor refers to that product as a Hyfrecator® frequently. He may mean he wants the product from Conmed Corporation or he could mean he wants a high frequency desiccator from Bovie Medical Corporation, because of its easier to use features. So, next time you ask for a Bovie®, make sure you get the real Bovie!
J. Robert Saron
President, Bovie Medical Corporation
