Medical Terminology Daily (MTD) is a blog sponsored by Clinical Anatomy Associates, Inc. as a service to the medical community. We post anatomical, medical or surgical terms, their meaning and usage, as well as biographical notes on anatomists, surgeons, and researchers through the ages. Be warned that some of the images used depict human anatomical specimens.

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A Moment in History

Jean-Louis Petit

Jean Louis Petit
(1674 – 1750)

French surgeon and anatomist, Jean Louis Petit was born in Paris in on March 13, 1674.  His family rented an apartment at his house to Alexis Littre (1658 – 1726), a French anatomist. Petit became an apprentice of Littre at seven years of age, helping him in the dissections for his lectures and at an early age became the assistant in charge of the anatomic amphitheater.

Because of Petit’s dedication to anatomy and medicine, in 1690 at the age of sixteen, became a disciple of a famous Paris surgeon, Castel.

In 1692, Petit entered the French army and performed surgery in two military campaigns. By 1693 he started delivering lectures and was accepted as a great surgeon, being invited to the most difficult operations.  In 1700 he was appointed Chief Surgeon of the Military School in Paris and in the same year he received the degree of Master of Surgery from the Faculty of Paris.

In 1715 he was made a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences and an honorary member of the Royal Society of London. He was appointed by the King as the first Director General of the Royal Academy of Surgery when it was founded in 1731.

Petit’s written works are of historical importance.  “Traite des Maladies des Os” ( A Treatise on Bone Diseases);  “Traite des Maladies Chirurgicales et des Operation” (A Treatise on Surgical Diseases and their Operations” This last book was published posthumously in 1774. He also published a monograph on hemorrhage, another on lachrymal fistula, and others.

He was one of the first to perform choIecystotomy and mastoidotomy. His original tourniquet design for amputations saved many in the battlefield and the design of the same surgical instrument today has not changed much since its invention by him.

His name is remembered in the lumbar triangle, also called the "triangle of Petit", and the abdominal hernia that can ensue through that area of weakness, the lumbar hernia or "Petit's hernia".

Sources:
1. “Jean Louis Petit – A Sketch of his Life, Character, and Writings” Hayne, AP San Fran Western Lancet 1875 4: 446-454
2. “Oeuvres compl?tes de Jean-Louis Petit” 1837 Imprimerie de F. Chapoulaud
3. Extraits de l'eloge de Jean-Louis Petit Ius dans Ia seance publique de I' Academie royale de chirurgie du 26 mai 1750” Louis A. Chirurgie 2001: 126 : 475- 81


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Anatomy / Dissection

UPDATED: From the Greek, the prefix [ana-] meaning "trough" or "up", the root term [-tom-], arising from [τομή] (tom??) meaning "to cut", and the suffix [-y], meaning "process". The word [anatomy] means then, "a process of cutting up", a very good description of what anatomists do. What is interesting is that the word anatomy describes an action, and as such can be used as a verb. It is correct to say "to anatomize" when referring to the act of dissecting a body or body part.

The word "anatomy" has the same meaning as "dissection", a word with Latin roots. The prefix [dis-] means "apart", while the root term [-section] means "to cut". [-section] arises from the Latin [sectis] or [secare]. both meaning "to cut". 

Today the term [anatomy] is used to describe one of the basic medical sciences; in the Middle Ages the terms to "dissect" or to "anatomize" were interchangeable.

Anatomy is "the study of the human body, its parts and components, and the spatial relationship between this components". For many, anatomy is at the basis of the Science of Surgery

There are many subspecialties in anatomy, including:

Gross anatomy: That anatomy that can be seen with the naked eye
Surface anatomy: The correlation between superficial landmarks and internal structures and organs
Clinical anatomy: The study of anatomy and its relation to physiology, pathology, and surgical treatment

Personal note: The improper pronunciation of the term [dissection] is one of my pet peeves!

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