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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William S. Halsted, MD
(1852 – 1922)
American anatomist, teacher, and surgeon, William Stewart Halsted was born in New York City, USA to a wealthy family of English origin. His father was involved in charitable work and Governor and trustee to a city hospital. Not a brilliant student initially, Halsted took an undergraduate in Liberal Arts in Yale, CT., after which he entered the Medical College of Physicians at the Columbia College, where he excelled.
As a second-year medical student Halsted applied and obtained a position in surgery at a local hospital. In here he learned about Lister’s antiseptic technique and became an adamant proponent of it to reduce infection. In 1877 Halsted obtained his MD. After a short time as House Physician at the New York Hospital, Halsted traveled to Europe to further his education studying for two years at the Universities of Vienna, Leipzig, and W?rzburg.
Besides being at the forefront of surgical and antiseptic techniques (introducing the use of rubber gloves in surgery), Halsted was extremely concerned with the way medical students were taught in the US. He pioneered bedside clinical round discussions with the medical students after two years of basic sciences studies. Halsted developed the idea of a patient chart; he also developed the residency program for medical students in use today.
Halsted is probably the most influential researcher and surgeon at the turn of the century. He dedicated time to the study of intestinal anastomoses and the use of silk as a suture material. His experimental work in 1887 proved that the inclusion of the submucosa layer in an anastomosis was mandatory, as well that a single layered anastomosis was enough to attain closure. Perhaps Halsted’s most important contribution was the application and use of the scientific method to surgical questions. Halsted’s principles set the standards used today in surgical suturing and surgical stapling.
He also pioneered the development and surgical techniques for radical mastectomy as a treatment for breast cancer.
As a side effect of this studied in anesthesia and the use of cocaine for anesthesia, Halsted became addicted to this substance, a problem that followed him through the years. Without impairing his capacity as a researcher and a surgeon, Halsted eventually recovered. He died in Baltimore in 1922 as a complication to surgery.
Sources:
1. Dubay, A. D., & Franz, G. M. (2003). Acute Wound Healing: The Biology of Acute Wound Failure. Surg Clin NA, 83, 463-481.
2. Halsted, W. S. (1887). Circular Suture of the Intestine - An Experimental Study. Am J Med Sci, 436-461.
3. “William Stewart Halsted: his life and contributions to surgery” Osborne, P. Lancet Oncol 2007; 8: 256–65
4. “William Stewart Halsted: Surgical pioneer” Burress, P Endoc Today (2010), 8: (2) 22
5. “William Stewart Halsted (1852–1922) Neurological stamp” Haas, LF J Neurol Neurosurg Psych 2000;69:641
Original image courtesy of "Images from the History of Medicine" at www.nih.gov
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In my years of experience as a medical industry trainer, and specially in the cardiovascular arena, I doubt if I ever received the correct answer to the question "How many are the great vessels?". Answer it now before you read the rest of this article, you may be surprised!
A great vessel is an artery or a vein that is in direct contact with the heart taking or bringing blood from the heart to the body and vice versa. At this point, most of the attendees to one of my conferences would answer "4". This is not correct.
The great vessels are:
• Aorta
• Pulmonary trunk
• Superior vena cava
• inferior vena cava
• Pulmonary veins
There are four pulmonary veins, two on each side (sometimes three on the right side), one superior and one inferior. This brings the total number of the great vessels to eight! By the way, if you answered "pulmonary artery" as one of the great vessels, that is not correct. Read more on the correct answer here.
Human heart clinical anatomy and pathology are some of the many lecture topics developed and presented by Clinical Anatomy Associates, Inc.
Sources:
1. "Tratado de Anatomia Humana" Testut et Latarjet 8 Ed. 1931 Salvat Editores, Spain
2. "Gray's Anatomy" 38th British Ed. Churchill Livingstone 1995
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The duodenojejunal junction is the point where the fourth segment of the duodenum, the ascending duodenum, meets and is continuous with the most proximal portion of the jejunum.
The suspensory muscle of the duodenum attaches to the superior aspect of the duodenojejunal junction. This muscle is also known as the "muscle of Treitz" or "musculus suspensorius duodenii" and was first described in 1853 by Dr. Václav Treitz. The parietal peritoneum forms a fold over the suspensory muscle of the duodenum and this fold is known as the "ligament of Treitz".
The duodenojejunal junction (marked by the ligament of Treitz) is an important anatomical landmark used by anatomists and surgeons to denote the point where the small intestine passes from retroperitoneal duodenum to intraperitoneal jenunum. This means that while most of the duodenum is covered by parietal peritoneum, plastered to the posterior abdominal wall, and immobilized by it; the jejunum is mobile, meaning that the anatomist and surgeon can easily move it around because of the presence of a well-developed mesentery.
Sources:
1. "Clinically Oriented Anatomy" Moore, KL. 3r Ed. Williams & Wilkins 1992
2. "The origin of Medical Terms" Skinner, AH, 1970
3. "The suspensory muscle of the duodenum and its nerve supply" Jit, I.; Singh, S. J. Anat. (1977), 123, 2, pp. 397-405
4. "Anatomical and functional aspects of the human suspensory muscle of the duodenum." Costacurta, L. Acta Anat (Basel). 1972;82(1):34-46
Image property of: CAA.Inc. Artists: Dr. E. Miranda and D.M. Klein
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This word arises from the Latin word [canna], meaning “reed” with the Latin suffix [-ula], used to denote something small. Since reeds are hollow, the word [cannula] can be translated as a “small, hollow reed”.
In medicine, a cannula is a small, hollow tube used to draw fluids or introduce drugs or fluids into the body. It can also be an instrument that is used as a guide for other instruments to be introduced in the body.
Cannulation is the act of using or placing a cannula. The Latin plural for cannula is [cannulae], although the English version [cannulas] is acceptable.
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The [celiac trunk] is the first anterior unpaired branch of the abdominal aorta. Through its branches the celiac trunk provides arterial blood supply to the stomach, spleen, duodenum, and pancreas, as well as the liver. The celiac trunk is related on its left side to the suspensory muscle of the duodenum, which when covered by peritoneum forms the ligament of Treitz.
The celiac trunk is a very short artery which rapidly divides in its three branches:
- Left gastric artery: Provides blood supply to the stomach and is part of the lesser curvature vascular arcade.
- Splenic artery: Provides blood supply to the spleen, and to the stomach through a branch, the left gastroepiploic artery.
- Common hepatic artery: Provides blood supply to the liver, stomach and pancreas
Image property of: CAA.Inc. Photographer: David M. Klein
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The medical term [septic] arises from the Greek word [σηπτικός] (siptikós) which means “rotting”, “decaying”, or "putrefact". It was later adopted in Latin as the word we use today: [septic].
Septic describes a condition of infection of the tissues or wound contamination by any means, including bacteria. When blood is contaminated or infected, we refer to it as [septicemia]
A medical terminology note: Although it would seem that the root terms for septal and septic are the same, they are not. In the first one it is [-sept-], while in the second one the whole word [septic] is also the root term.
Then, if the above is true, why do we say [sepsis]? It is because the base of the Greek word [σηπτικός] (siptikós) is [σήψις] (sipsis) meaning “to rot”
Note: The links to Google Translate include an icon that will allow you to hear the pronunciation of the word.
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The root term [-sept-] arises from the Latin word [septum] which means “partition”, referring to a wall or division between areas or compartments. The addition of the adjectival suffix [-al] gives us the word [septal], meaning “pertaining to a septum”. The plural for [septum] is [septa]
In human anatomy the term is used in:
- Nasal septum: The osteocartilaginous division between both sides of the nose
- Interatrial septum: The wall or division between the atria of the heart
- Interventricular septum: The partition between the heart ventricles
- Septum pellucidum: A membranous separation between the lateral ventricles of the brain
- Intermuscular septa: There are several fibrous septa between the muscles in both the upper and lower extremities.
There are other septa in the human body not listed here.
Interestingly, the Greek counterpart of the Latin term [septum] is [διάφραγμα] (diáfragma) meaning “diaphragm”.
Note: The links to Google Translate include an icon that will allow you to hear the pronunciation of the word.