The Hamate bone is one of the four bones that comprise the distal row of the carpus or carpal bones that form the wrist. The name arises from the Latin [hamatus], meaning "hooked". The hamate bone has a distinct hook-like bony process in its volar (anterior) surface, known as the hamulus. This bone is also known as the "unciform bone" (from the Latin [uncus], also meaning "hook") or the os hamatum.

The lunate bone has a wedge-like shape and six surfaces (as a die). It articulates with five bones, including the lunate bone, capitate, triquetrum, and the fourth and fifth metacarpal bones.

The hook of the hamate bone is one of the distal boundaries of the carpal tunnel and serves as a pulley for the tendons of the fourth and fifth flexor tendons. It also serves as one of the points of muscular attachment for the following muscles: flexor carpi ulnaris, flexor digit minimi, and opponens digiti minimi. Because of its projection into the palm of the hand, the hamulus is involved in injuries in sports that require the athlete to use an accessory, as in racquetball, tennis, baseball, golf, etc.

The accompanying image shows the anterior (volar) surface of the wrist. Click on the image for a larger picture.

Image modified from the original: "3D Human Anatomy: Regional Edition DVD-ROM." Courtesy of Primal Pictures

The word itself arises from the Greek. The root term [-phleb-] derives from [φλέβα] (phleba) meaning "vein", and the suffix [-otomy], meaning "to cut" or "to open". Let's not forget that the suffix component  [-y] means "process of". So [phlebotomy] is the "process (or action) of cutting open a vein"

For centuries a standard practice in medicine was to "bleed" a patient, by opening a vein under controlled conditions and letting some blood flow. The practice was known as "bloodletting" or phlebotomy. Not in use today, it is said that excessive bloodletting contributed to the death of George Washington, having removed 5 pints of blood in one day!. Today the professionals who draw blood are called "phlebotomists"

The image (circa 1860) depicts one of the only known three photographs of a bloodletting procedure. Observe the lack of aseptic technique.

Image by The Burns Archive, courtesy of Wikipedia.org.

The iliopubic tract is a thickening of the transversalis fascia found in direct relation, immediately posterior to the inguinal (Poupart's) ligament. As the inguinal ligament, the iliopubic tract extends between the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) superolaterally, and the pubic tubercle inferomedially. 

This obscure structure has been brought up to light because it is one of the anatomical landmarks used in laparoscopic herniorrhaphy. When securing a mesh to reinforce the posterior abdominal wall, and also prevent mesh migration, the surgeon will place sutures, tacks, or staples in this structure. Since the iliopubic tract (posteriorly) and the inguinal ligament (anteriorly) are so close together, they are both secured when doing this procedure.

The term [foramen transversarium] is Latin for "transverse foramen". It refers to bilateral foramina (openings) found lateral to the vertebral body in the cervical vertebrae. These foramina are found only in cervical vertebrae and serve as a good way to identify them.

Through the foramina transversaria (plural form) pass the vertebral artery and vertebral vein. The vertebral artery is one of the first branches to arise off the subclavian arteries. While the vertebral vein passes through all seven foramina transversaria, the vertebral artery does not pass through the foramen transversarium of the seventh cervical vertebra (vertebra prominens).

Image property of: CAA.Inc. Photographer: David M. Klein

Carl Wernicke (1848-1905). German psychiatrist, neurologist, and neurosurgeon, Carl Wernicke was born in 1848 in the town of Tarnowitz, in what was then Prussia. He studied medicine in Breslau, Poland. In 1817 he became an assistant psychiatrist at a Breslau hospital. Fascinated with the discoveries and publications of Paul Broca on localized brain damage and aphasia, Wernicke left his post for a time to work with Theodor Meynert in Vienna. At that time Meynert was considered an authority in neuropsychiatry. In 1874, soon after his return to Breslau, Wernicke published his ideas and findings in aphasia in a revolutionary  publication "The Aphasia Symptom Complex". Wernicke was only 26.

At the time, the general outlook on brain activity was that the brain worked in localized areas. Carl Wernicke's ideas were that although this was true, the functionality of the brain resided in the connections between the different areas of the brain. His ideas were right. Wernicke described what later would be known as "sensory aphasia" or the eponymic "Wernicke's aphasia".

Wernicke was a pioneer in the surgical treatment of hydrocephalus, as well as the surgical treatment of brain abcesses. He published several books, including a brain atlas. Carl Wernicke died as the consequence of a bycicle accident in 1905.

Sources:
1. "Pioneers in Neurology: Carl Wernicke (1848–1905)" Pillmann, F. J Neurol (2003) 250 : 1390–1391
2. "The scientific history of hydrocephalus and its treatment" Aschoff, A.; Ashemi, P.; Kunze, S.Neurosurg Rev (1999) 22:67–93
3. "Aphasia" Marshall,RS; Lazar, RM;PhD, Mohr,JP. Medical Update for Psychiatrists. Elsevier (1998)3;5:132–138

Original image courtesy of
Images from the History of Medicine.