▁later ▁rest at ement ▁is ▁accepted ▁by ▁the ▁science , ▁this ▁is ▁surely ▁proof ▁that ▁the ▁science ▁accepts ▁ideas ▁only ▁when ▁they ▁fit ▁into ▁the ▁then - current ▁state ▁of ▁the ▁science ." ▁He ▁gave ▁several ▁examples ▁in ▁which ▁the ▁original ▁discover er ▁was ▁not ▁recognized ▁as ▁such . ▁ ▁The ▁Matthew ▁effect ▁was ▁co ined ▁by ▁Robert ▁K . ▁M erton ▁to ▁describe ▁how ▁em inent ▁scient ists ▁get ▁more ▁credit ▁than ▁a ▁compar atively ▁unknown ▁research er , ▁even ▁if ▁their ▁work ▁is ▁similar , ▁so ▁that ▁credit ▁will ▁usually ▁be ▁given ▁to ▁research ers ▁who ▁are ▁already ▁famous . ▁M erton ▁notes ▁that ▁" this ▁pattern ▁of ▁recognition , ▁ske wed ▁in ▁favor ▁of ▁the ▁established ▁scient ist , ▁appears ▁princip ally ▁( i ) ▁in ▁cases ▁of ▁collaboration ▁and ▁( ii ) ▁in ▁cases ▁of ▁independent ▁multiple ▁discover ies ▁made ▁by ▁scient ists ▁of ▁distinct ly ▁different ▁rank ." ▁The ▁effect ▁applies ▁specifically ▁to ▁women ▁through ▁the ▁Mat ilda ▁effect . ▁ ▁Bo yer ' s ▁law ▁was ▁named ▁by ▁Hub ert ▁Kennedy ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 2 . ▁It ▁says , ▁" Math emat ical ▁formulas ▁and ▁the or ems ▁are ▁usually ▁not ▁named ▁after ▁their ▁original ▁discover ers " ▁and ▁was ▁named ▁after ▁Carl ▁Bo yer , ▁whose ▁book ▁A ▁History ▁of ▁Mathemat ics ▁contains ▁many ▁examples ▁of ▁this ▁law . ▁Kennedy ▁observed ▁that ▁" it ▁is ▁perhaps ▁interesting ▁to ▁note ▁that ▁this ▁is ▁probably ▁a ▁rare ▁instance ▁of ▁a ▁law ▁whose ▁statement ▁confir ms ▁its