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.

You are welcome to submit questions and suggestions using our "Contact Us" form. The information on this blog follows the terms on our "Privacy and Security Statement" and cannot be construed as medical guidance or instructions for treatment.

We have 139 guests online

A Moment in History

Andreas Vesalius Bruxellensis (1514- 1564)

A Flemish anatomist and surgeon, Andreas Vesalius was born on December 31, 1514 in Brussels, Belgium. He is considered to be the father of the science of Anatomy. Up until his studies and publications human anatomy studies consisted only on the confirmation of the old doctrines of Galen of Pergamon (129AD - 200AD). Anatomy professors would read to the students from Galen's work and a demonstrator would point in a body to the area being described, if a body was used at all. The reasoning was that there was no need to dissect since all that was needed to know was already written in Galen's books. Vesalius, Fallopius, and others started the change by describing what they actually saw in a dissection as opposed to what was supposed to be there. 

Vesalius had a notorious career, both as an anatomist and as a surgeon. His revolutionary book "De Humani Corporis Fabrica: Libri Septem" was published in May 26, 1543. One of the most famous anatomical images is his plate 22 of the book, called sometimes "The Hamlet". You can see this image if you hover over Vesalius' only known portrait which accompanies this article. Sir William Osler said of this book "... it is the greatest book ever printed, from which modern medicine dates" 

After the original 1543 printing, the Fabrica was reprinted in 1555. It was re-reprinted and translated in many languages, although many of these printings were low-quality copies with no respect for copyright or authorship.

The story of the wood blocks with the carved images used for the original printing extends into the 20th century. In 1934 these original wood blocks were used to print 617 copies of the book "Iconaes Anatomica". This book is rare and no more can be printed because, sadly, during a 1943 WWII bombing raid over Munich all the wood blocks were burnt.

One interesting aspect of the book was the landscape panorama in some of his most famous woodcuts which was only "discovered" until 1903.

Vesalius was controversial in life and he still is in death. We know that he died on his way back from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, but how he died, and exactly where he died is lost in controversy. We do know he was alive when he set foot on the port of Zakynthos in the island of the same name in Greece. He is said to have suddenly collapsed and die at the gates of the city, presumably as a consequence of scurvy. Records show that he was interred in the cemetery of the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, but the city and the church were destroyed by an earthquake and Vesalius' grave lost to history. Modern researchers are looking into finding the lost grave and have identified the location of the cemetery. This story has not ended yet.

For a detailed biography of Andreas Vesalius CLICK HERE.

Personal note: To commemorate Andrea Vesalius' 500th birthday in 2014, there were many scientific meetings throughout the world, one of them was the "Vesalius Continuum" anatomical meeting on the island of Zakynthos, Greece on September 4-8, 2014. This is the island where Vesalius died in 1564. I had the opportunity to attend and there are several articles in this website on the presence of Andreas Vesalius on Zakynthos island. During 2015 I also attended a symposium on "Vesalius and the Invention of the Modern Body" at the St. Louis University. At this symposium I had the honor of meeting of Drs. Garrison and Hast, authors of the "New Fabrica". Dr. Miranda

Follow MTD:

Rare & Collectible Books at AbeBooks.com 

bookplateink.com

Anton Nuck

Published: Thursday, December 19, 2024 07:00 | Written by: Efrain A. Miranda, Ph.D. | Hits: 132

This article is part of the series "A Moment in History" where we honor those who have contributed to the growth of medical knowledge in the areas of anatomy, medicine, surgery, and medical research.

Anton Nuck

Antonius Nuck


Anton Nuck (1650-1692), a Dutch surgeon and anatomist used several forms for his name such as Antonio Nuck, Anton Nuck, Antonii Nuck, and Antonius Nuck van Leyden. Born in Harderwijk, Netherlands, he moved to Leyden in South Holland, where he studied medicine at the University of Leyden. He received his doctorate in February 1677 with this thesis “De Diabete”.

In 1683 he became a reader (lecturer) of anatomy and surgery at the Collegium Anatomicum Chirurgicum, in Haag (The Hague, Netherlands). He returned to his alma mater in Leyden, where the was appointed to the chair of Medicine and Surgery.

Nuck is known today for the first description of  the processus vaginalis, a peritoneal evagination thar runs lateral to the gubernaculum into the inguinal canal in the fetus, both male and female, terminating in the labioscrotal fold, an area that will become the scrotum in the male or the labium majus in the female. This canal is known eponimycally today as the "Canal of Nuck"

The processus vaginalis in the male runs lateral to the vas deferens into the scrotum. The processus vaginalis in normally closed, but if it stays patent, it becomes a passageway for abdominal contents into the scrotum, setting the stage for an indirect inguinal hernia.

Title page of Adenographia & Uteri (Nuck)

Title page of Adenographia & Uteri

 

 

Plate XL of Adenographia (Nuck)

Plate XL of Adenographia & Uteri

In the female the processus vaginalis runs lateral to the round ligament of the uterus. Since the round ligament ends in the labium majus, a patent processus vaginalis sets the stage for an indirect inguinal hernia that bulges into the labium majus (see figure 4 in Source 1- WARNING the image depicts external female genitalia)

Before Nuck, it was argued that females could not have inguinal hernias. In 1691 Nuck published his book "Adenographia Curiosa & Uteri Foeminei Anatome Nova", where he showed that indeed some females could indeed have hernias. For additional information on the canal of Nuck and the text in the book, click here. 

Chapter 10 of this book is entitled “De Peritoneai Diverticulis Novis” (On a New Peritoneal Diverticulum”.  Not only Nuck described the processus vaginalis, but he described a pathology today known as “Nuck’s cyst” or “Nuck’s hydrocele”, a cyst within Nucks’ canal.  The images above show the title page of his book "Adenographia Curiosa & uteri foeminei anatome nova" and a composite image of plate XL and text. This book was dedicated to the mainly to the topic of lymphatic vessels. The discovery of a patent processus vaginalis was not its intent, but when he found it, he added it to his book. The text on image XL reads "diverticulum novum oculis subjiciens, ex subjecto humano" that can be freely translated as "On a new opening, seen with our eyes in a human subject"

Because of laparoscopic and robotic surgery that requires a pneumoperitoneum, an undiagnosed patent canal of Nuck can lead to a pneumatocele or pneumolabium (See Sources 6)

Besides general surgery, Anton Nuck practiced dentistry and ophthalmic surgery, being the first one to perform a paracentesis for hydrophthalmia (glaucoma) to reduce the pressure inside the eye. He also performed the first recorded vitrectomy. He studied the salivary glands and called the process sialography.

Sources:
1. “Quiste del Conducto de Nuck: una Patología Vulvar Poco Frecuente” Nuñez, JT; Virla, Ln, Delgado del Fox, MD; Gonzalez, A. Rev Obstet Ginecol Venez v.66 n.1 Caracas mar. 2006
2. “Revisiting the clinico-radiological features of an unusual inguino-labial swelling in an adult female” Vinoth, T; Lalchandani, A; Bharadwaj, S; Pandya, B. 2022. International Journal of Surgery Case Reports, 98(Complete)
3. “Early Descriptions of Vitreous Surgery” Grzybowski, A. & Kanclerz, P. (2021) Retina, 41 (7), 1364-1372.
4. The Origin of Medical Terms" Skinner 1970
5. "The cyst of the canal of Nuck: a great mimicker of groin hernia in female" Ben Ismail, I., Sghaier, M., Rebii, S., Zeznaidi, H. and Zoghlami, A. (2024) ANZ Journal of Surgery
6. "Unilateral Vulvar Pneumatocele (Pneumolabium) Diagnosed during Robotic Hysterectomy" Zoorob, D; Spalsbury, M;Slutz, T; et al. (2019) Case Reports in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2019, 8106451
7. "A Family of Early English Oculists (1600-1751), With a Reappraisal of John Thomas Woolhouse"Leffler CT, Schwartz SG. (2017) Ophthalmol Eye Dis. 
Anton Nuck's portrait in the public domain, courtesy of the Universiteit Leiden Digital Collections.
Images from "Adenographia Curiosa", public domain, courtesy of Archive.org.