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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Georg Eduard Von Rindfleisch
(1836 – 1908)
German pathologist and histologist of Bavarian nobility ancestry. Rindfleisch studied medicine in Würzburg, Berlin, and Heidelberg, earning his MD in 1859 with the thesis “De Vasorum Genesi” (on the generation of vessels) under the tutelage of Rudolf Virchow (1821 - 1902). He then continued as a assistant to Virchow in a newly founded institute in Berlin. He then moved to Breslau in 1861 as an assistant to Rudolf Heidenhain (1834–1897), becoming a professor of pathological anatomy. In 1865 he became full professor in Bonn and in 1874 in Würzburg, where a new pathological institute was built according to his design (completed in 1878), where he worked until his retirement in 1906.
He was the first to describe the inflammatory background of multiple sclerosis in 1863, when he noted that demyelinated lesions have in their center small vessels that are surrounded by a leukocyte inflammatory infiltrate.
After extensive investigations, he suspected an infectious origin of tuberculosis - even before Robert Koch's detection of the tuberculosis bacillus in 1892. Rindfleisch 's special achievement is the description of the morphologically conspicuous macrophages in typhoid inflammation. His distinction between myocardial infarction and myocarditis in 1890 is also of lasting importance.
Associated eponyms
"Rindfleisch's folds": Usually a single semilunar fold of the serous surface of the pericardium around the origin of the aorta. Also known as the plica semilunaris aortæ.
"Rindfleisch's cells": Historical (and obsolete) name for eosinophilic leukocytes.
Personal note: G. Rindfleisch’s book “Traité D' Histologie Pathologique” 2nd edition (1873) is now part of my library. This book was translated from German to French by Dr. Frédéric Gross (1844-1927) , Associate Professor of the Medicine Faculty in Nancy, France. The book is dedicated to Dr. Theodore Billroth (1829-1894), an important surgeon whose pioneering work on subtotal gastrectomies paved the way for today’s robotic bariatric surgery. Dr. Miranda.
Sources:
1. "Stedmans Medical Eponyms" Forbis, P.; Bartolucci, SL; 1998 Williams and Wilkins
2. "Rindfleisch, Georg Eduard von (bayerischer Adel?)" Deutsche Biographie
3. "The pathology of multiple sclerosis and its evolution" Lassmann H. (1999) Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 354 (1390): 1635–40.
4. “Traité D' Histologie Pathologique” G.E.
Rindfleisch 2nd Ed (1873) Ballieres et Fils. Paris, Translated by F Gross
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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.
Arantius
Giulio Cesare Aranzio (1530 -1589) Italian surgeon and anatomist. Born in Bologna, Giulio Cesare Aranzio is better known by the Latinized version of his name Julius Caesar Arantius. His Italian last name is sometimes spelled Aranzi.
Born in a poor family, Aranzio began his medical studies under the tutelage of his uncle, Bartolommeo Maggi (1477 – 1552), studied medicine at the University of Bologna where he graduated MD in 1556. The same year he became a Professor of Anatomy and Surgery at the in 1556. Arantius was the first lecturer at the University of Bologna to hold a separate professorship of anatomy. Before him, the University would allow any surgeon to perform dissection and lectures.
Arantius had several publications that include:
• Observationes Anatomicas (Anatomical Observations)
• De Humano Foetu Opusculum (On the Human Fetus)
• De Tumoribus Secundum Locos Affectos (Tumors according to the affected places)
• Hippocratis librum de vulneribus capitis commentarius brevis (Short commentary on Hippocrates’ book on head wounds)
Arantius was the first to describe the foramen ovale (fossa ovalis) and the ductus arteriosus, discoveries that were later erroneously ascribed to Leonardo Bottalus (Botal). He also described the nodules in the leaflets of the aortic valve that today bear his name (nodules of Arantius) which he described as being “cartilaginous” in nature. This is not as farfetched as it seems as these nodules can become hypertrophic and harden with age. Arantius was also the first to describe the hippocampus, a formation on the brain associated with the limbic system, mood disorders, and depression.
Arantius was a consummate anatomist and a great surgeon. Apparently he treated nasal polyps, performed nasal reconstructions and a number of surgeries ahead of his time. One of his great anatomical observations was that the blood in the heart did not pass through “invisible pores” in the interventricular septum, but rather exits the heart through the pulmonary trunk, setting the stage for the discovery of circulation by William Harvey (1578 – 1609)
We have not been able to find a portrait of Arantius and the only reference is a a bust with the name “Aranzio” located at the Biblioteca comunale dell'Archiginnasio in Bologna, Italy. The bust is found in the anatomical amphitheater, built in 1637. Unfortunately, the theater was severly damaged in January 29, 1944 during WWII. It has been meticulously restored over the years. Here is an article (in Italian) on the amphitheater.
Sources:
1. “Giulio Cesare Arantius (1530-1589): a surgeon and anatomist: his role in nasal reconstruction and influence on Gaspare Tagliacozzi” . Gurunluoglu R, Gurunluoglu A Ann Plast Surg. 2008 Jun;60(6):717-22
2. “Giulio Cesare Aranzio (Arantius) (1530-89) in the pageant of anatomy and surgery” Gurunluoglu R, Shafighi M, Gurunluoglu A, Cavdar S. J Med Biogr. 2011 May;19(2):63-9
3. “Hippocampus – Why is it studied so frequently?” Radonjic, V. et al Vojnosanit Pregl 2014; 71(2): 195–201
4: “The history of Bologna University's Medical School over the centuries, A Short Review” Moroni, P. Acta Dermatoven APA Vol 9, 2000, No 2 73-75
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The [lumbar triangle] is a well-defined triangular space in the posterolateral lumbar region. Also known as the inferior lumbar triangle, its boundaries are: inferior, the iliac crest; anteromedial: latissimus dorsi muscle; posterolateral: posterior border of the external oblique muscle. The triangle has a superior apex, and the floor of the triangle is the internal oblique muscle.
The triangle is named after Jean-Louis Petit (1674 - 1750), a French Surgeon who is said to have been an anatomy teacher at an early age and became a surgeon when he was only eighteen!
The lumbar triangle is an area that is not as thick as the rest of the abdominal wall and as such it is a site of potential weakness that can lead to a lumbar hernia, also known as 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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The anatomical term [crista terminalis] is Latin. [Crista] refers to the crest of a helmet, a tuft (of hair or feathers), or a ridge. The word [terminalis] means "end" or "terminal". The term then means "the terminal or end ridge".
The crista terminalis is a superoinferior muscular ridge found in the right atrium marking the boundary between the smooth wall of the right atrium, also known as the "sinus venarum" (venous sinus), and the muscular wall of the right atrial appendage. The muscular wall of the right atrial appendage is comb-shaped and is called the pectinate muscle.
Because of the longitudinal direction of the muscular fibers of the crista terminalis, it is considered to be one of the pathways for electrical transmission of the cardiac depolarization between the sinuatrial (SA) node and the atrioventricular (AV) node.
The crista terminalis causes a superoinferior longitudinal depression on the surface of the heart known as the sulcus terminalis.
The accompanying image is a dissection of a human heart and shows the crista terminalis, pectinate muscle, fossa ovalis, the ostium of the coronary sinus, the right atrial smooth wall of the sinus venarum. Click on the image for a larger version. The animated image does a slow pass trough all these and other structures.
Sources:
1. "The origin of Medical Terms" Skinner, AH, 1970
2. "Terminologia Anatomica: International Anatomical Terminology (FCAT)" Thieme, 1998
3. "Tratado de Anatomia Humana" Testut et Latarjet 8th Ed. 1931 Salvat Editores, Spain
Image courtesy of Rocky Vista University,College of Osteopathic Medicine, Parker, CO
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The word [carina] is Greek, from [καρίνα] meaning “keel”, as in the keel of a boat.
The carina is an anteroposterior elevation found at the point of bifurcation of the trachea into the left and right bronchi. When looking at it from the superior aspect, it does look as if you were looking at the keel of boat from the bottom up, and this is the image that endoscopists see when looking at this area. See the accompanying image.
The bifurcation of the trachea and the carina are usually found at the level of the sternal angle (of Louis), which is about the level of the superior border of the 5th thoracic vertebra.
Since the right bronchus is slightly wider than the left bronchus, the carina is usually slightly displaced to the left of the midline.
The lymph nodes that surround the area of the bifurcation of the trachea, and inferior to the bifurcation are called the carinal nodes.
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Although not a medical term per se, we use the word [vernacular] constantly on this blog to refer to terms used commonly or colloquially by non-health care professionals.
Merriam-Webster’s definitions of [vernacular] are multiple, all pointing to common usage by a group:
• of, relating to, or using the language of ordinary speech rather than formal writing
• of, or relating to the common style of a particular time, place, or group
• using a language or dialect native to a region or country rather than a literary, cultured, or foreign language
• of, relating to, or being a nonstandard language or dialect of a place, region, or country
• of, relating to, or being the normal spoken form of a language
• applied to a plant or animal in the common native speech as distinguished from the Latin nomenclature of scientific classification
This last definition is the one that applies mostly to what we mean in this blog. While we may use the anatomical term “rectus abdominis” , most people would say “six-pack” – which is wrong on two aspects: it is vernacular, and it is not a “six pack”, if you count them, you will see that a well-developed rectus abdominis has eight bellies, four on each side, making it really an “eight pack”!
Another one would be the vernacular term "pinky" to refer to the fifth digit of the hand. Yet another one would be the use of the vernacular term “stomach” to refer to the abdomen, that is one of my pet peeves!
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Abdominal regions
UPDATED: The word [hypochondriac] is formed by the prefix [hypo-], meaning "below", the root term [-chondr-], meaning "cartilage", and the adjectival suffix [-iac], meaning "pertaining to". A literal translation would be "pertaining to (the area) below the cartilage"; this does nothing to explain what we understand as a "hypochondriac" patient.
The word [hypochondrium], was first used by Hippocrates of Cos (460 BC - 370 BC) to denote the anterior bilateral areas below the lower costal cartilages of the thorax, what we known today as two of the abdominal regions, the hypochondriac regions.
These two areas contain on the right, the liver and gallbladder, and on the left, the spleen, part of the stomach, and the left flexure of the colon. Because of the visceral sensations referred by some patients in these areas without any apparent problems, these symptoms started to be called "hypochondriac symptoms". It did not take much time to refer to a patient that refers pathological symptoms without being sick as an "hypochondriac". The first one to actually use this term in a publication was Robert Whytt (1714 - 1766), a Scottish physician.