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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All words have a foundation, called a root or a root term. The root is the minimal expression of a word that conveys a specific meaning. The word [hepa] does not mean liver, but the root term [-hepat-] does. There are some root words that have two presentations, like [-card-] and [-cord-], both meaning "heart", and even three presentations such as [-uter-], [-metr-], and [-hyster-], all of them meaning "uterus". All these following words have root terms meaning "uterus": periuterine, endometrium, and hysterectomy.
As an example, all the following medical terms: [pneumonectomy], [pneumonia], [pneumonitis], [pneumogastric], [pneumobacillus], and [pneumothorax] have the same common root term [-pneumon-], from the Greek [πνεύμονας], meaning "lung".
In medicine, surgery, and human anatomy there are several cases where there is more than one root term for the same organ. The terms [lienectomy] and [splenectomy] both mean "removal of the spleen", as the root terms [-lien-] and [-splen-] both mean "spleen". The same is the case in the following pairs: [-nephr-] and [-ren-], meaning "kidney"; [-cyst-] and [-vesic-], meaning "bladder"; [-pneumon-] and [-pulmon-], meaning "lung"; etc.
Root terms can also be combined to form complex medical terms, such as [gastroenterology], [leiomyomata], [cholecystectomy], [dacryocystolithectomy], [nephroureterocystourethrectomy], etc. To do this there are specific rules for combination.
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A prefix is a component of a word that precedes the root term and alters or influences the meaning of the root term. The root [port], from the Latin [portare], meaning "to carry" is found in the words export, support, and transport. The prefixes are [ex-], meaning "outside"; [sup-], meaning "above or on top"; and [trans-], meaning "across".
The same is true for medical terms. The words suprahepatic, infrahepatic, and transhepatic, all contain the root term[-hepat-] from the Greek [hepar], meaning "liver". The prefixes are [supra-], meaning "superior or above"; [infra], meaning "inferior or below"; and [trans], meaning "through or across".
For information on how to read medical words, click here.
The listing of medical prefixes is quite large and should be mastered by professionals in the medical industry. Medical Terminology is one of the core competencies of CAA, Inc.
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The word [mesenchymal] is the adjectival form of [mesenchyme] which arises from the Greek combination of [μέσο] (meso) meaning “middle”, and [χυμός] (chymos) meaning “juice”. In the early physiological theory of “humors” it refers to a type of “juicy” organ tissue. These organs needed to be activated by a thick fluid.
The term was used in embryology in 1881 to denote a portion of the mesoderm formed by loose cells that give origin to connective tissues.
The original meaning of the term [mesenchyme] has no application today, except being used to denote a tissue characterized by loose cells that are surrounded by a large extracellular matrix. Mesenchymal cells are able to develop into tissues of the lymphatic and circulatory systems, as well as connective tissues throughout the body, including bone and cartilage.
Some mesenchymal cells in the adult can be harvested and used as somatic stem cells.
Sources:
1. "The Origin of Medical Terms" Skinner, HA 1970 Hafner Publishing Co.
2. "Human Embryology" WLJ Larsen 1993 Churchill Livingstone
Note: The links to Google Translate in these articles include an icon that will allow you to hear the Greek or Latin pronunciation of the word.
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- Written by: Dr. O'Garcia
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The word [somatic] traces its origins to the Greek word [σώμα] (soma) meaning “body” and [σωμαkwς] (somatikos) meaning “of the body”, “bodily”, or “physically”. Combining the root term [-soma-] with the adjectival suffix [–tic], meaning “pertaining to”, gives the word [somatic], meaning “pertaining to the body”. Combining the root term [-psych] with the root term [-soma-]”,and adding the suffix [–tic], meaning “pertaining to”, gives us the medical word [psychosomatic] that means “pertaining to the mind and body”.
This term has become commonplace in scientific and medical literature, especially in cellular medicine describing stem cells, and at other times the word is appended with a prefix or suffix and used in another capacity. Often overlooked, because of the words it precedes (e.g., somatic stem cells), the word somatic is an important qualifier and adjective in defining a type of cell, or anything pertaining to the body for that matter. Thus, we examine the origins of this word, and why understanding it’s meaning can serve to as a critical adjective in cellular medicine.
Important to note, is that included in this word origins, is the designation that the root term [-soma-] is specific to the body and is distinct from the soul, mind, or spirit. Therein lies the rub, when talking about somatic stem cells, or somatic cells in general. It is imperative to recognize that when using the term somatic, to describe stem cells, scientists and clinicians are talking about cells derived from the body, otherwise considered adult tissue. The NIH gives the definition of a somatic stem cell as:
Somatic (adult) stem cells—A relatively rare undifferentiated cell found in many organs and differentiated tissues with a limited capacity for both self renewal (in the laboratory) and differentiation. Such cells vary in their differentiation capacity, but it is usually limited to cell types in the organ of origin. This is an active area of investigation.
By definition these cells are not germline cells, or embryonic cells, but cells residing in adult tissue and organs with varying capacities for differentiation such as the mesenchymal cells shown in the accompanying image. Thus, a somatic cell can describe anything from a stem cell residing within your kidneys or bone marrow. Research and therapies directed at and utilizing somatic stem cells, do not involve the destruction of an embryo. In fact, there is active research aimed at utilizing one’s own biopsied tissue to create personalized somatic cell therapies, which brings us full circle to the meaning of the word somatic: “pertaining to (and derived from) the body”.
Advances in science and medicine have led to the development of new understandings of the mechanisms that underlie disease, as well as new treatment strategies. With these advances come litanies of new terms that can often lead to confusion and in some cases, contention. One of these ever advancing areas is the rapidly changing field of stem cell science. As our understanding of “stem” cells changes almost daily, consequently, so must our vocabularies. Failure to do so can often lead to misunderstandings in science, medicine, politics, and even religion.
Article contributed by Dr. O’Garcia, a somatic stem cell researcher and medical writer.
Sources:
1. Online etymology dictionary, www.etymonline.com
2. MyEtymology.com www.MyEtymology.com
3. NIH Stem Cell Basics. http://stemcells.nih.gov/Pages/Default.aspx
Note: The links to Google Translate in these articles include an icon that will allow you to hear the Greek or Latin pronunciation of the word.
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The suffix [-schisis-] comes from the Greek word [σχίσις] and means "to tear" or "to separate". In Medicine today its meaning is that of "a cleft", a "split", or "a separation". The root term [gastr-] arises from the old Greek [gaster] meaning "belly"or "abdomen". In modern medical terminology it is used to mean "stomach", although its vernacular past still remains is some medical words.
In the case of [gastroschisis] the word refers to a congenital condition where the abdominal wall does not complete its normal closure and the baby is born with an incomplete abdominal wall allowing for the extrusion of abdominal viscera usually in a right paraumbilical position
Gastroschisis is rare with an incidence of 1 in every 10,000 births and is associated with younger mothers (under 20), smoking, and the use of cocaine.
Many cases of gastroschisis can be successfully treated with surgery.
Images courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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Anterior view or the stomach
The root term [gastr-] arises from the old Greek [gaster] meaning "belly"or "abdomen". In modern medical terminology it is used to mean "stomach", although its vernacular past still remains is some medical words. Following are some used for this term:
- Gastritis: The suffix [-itis] means "infection" or "inflammation. Inflammation of the stomach
- Gastrotomy: The suffix [-(o)tomy] means "to cut" or "to open. Opening the stomach
- Gastrorrhaphy: The suffix [-(o)rrhaphy] means "to repair". Surgical repair of the stomach
- Gastroscope: The suffix [-(o)scope] means to an instrument used for viewing. To view the stomach
Here are a couple of examples of the root term [gastr-] used to mean "belly" or "abdomen":
- Gastroschisis: The suffix [-schisis] means "a cleft" or "a separation. An opening in the abdominal wall
- Gastrocnemius: The suffix [-(o)cnemius] is Greek and means "calf". The belly (like) muscles of the calf, the calf muscles
Source:
1. "Anatomy of the Human Body" Henry Gray 1918. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger
Original image courtesy of bartleby.com