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 1693 guests online
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
"Clinical Anatomy Associates, Inc., and the contributors of "Medical Terminology Daily" wish to thank all individuals who donate their bodies and tissues for the advancement of education and research”.
Click here for more information
- Details
The medical term [vaccine] originates from the Latin term [vacca] meaning "cow". The Latin adjectival form is [vaccinus].
The word originated from the work of Edward Jenner (1749 - 1823) who, based in observation, developed an injection of cowpox virus and injected them into patients, rendering them inmune to smallpox. This extraordinary discovery was the basis for the Balmis Expedition to the New World.
Since the cowpox virus was extracted initally from cows (Lat:vacca), and later from human cowpox sores, and Latin was at the time the preferred language of medical communication, the word "vaccina" was created. Evolution of the word led to the English [vaccine] and Spanish [vacuna]
- Details
The prefix [-ect(o)-] originates from the Greek [εκτός] meaning "outside". In medical terminology it is used to mean "outside", "external", or "superficial". Applications of this prefix include:
- Ectoderm: "derm" means "skin". This term is used in embryology to denote the external embryonic layer that will give origin to the skin and the nervous system
- Ectopic: "topic" means "place" or "location". Outside its place
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.
- Details
The term [volar] is used in human anatomy and orthopedics to denote either the palm of the hand or the sole of the feet. The volar surface of the hand is the anterior aspect or palm, whereas the volar surface of the feet is the inferior aspect or sole of the foot. How we came to use this word as such is a strange trip through the evolution and use of words.
The word [volar] originates from the Latin[vola] meaning "to fly". If you look online the definition of many for [volar] is "The hollow of the palms of the hands and soles of the feet". Very far from "to fly". The word was first used for the palms of the hands when mimicking a a flying bird. The hollow of the hands forces the air, hence [vola]. In fact, in Spanish the word for "to fly" is "volar" and in Italian, "volare". The term [volar] was then used by extension for the soles of the feet.
The term to refer to the palms of the hands and soles of the feet is in disuse except in orthopedics and can be found in some anatomy books. Overtime the word has been changed to [palmar] in the hand, and to [plantar] in the feet. This is why we have a muscle called the "palmaris longus" and we talk about the "plantar fascia".
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.
- Details
The word [phalanx] originates from the Greek [φάλαγγα] referring to a group of soldiers aligned in groups and in rows, as in a formation for battle. The plural form for this word is phalanges.
The Greek phalanx was a closed rank formation with interlocking shields and long spears between the shields. The phalanx was considered in its time one of the most effective formations for battle.
Aristotle thought that the bones that form the fingers resembled rows of aligned soldiers and gave this name to the bones that form the fingers.
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.
- Details
The root term [-andr(o)-] originates from the Greek [άνδρας] meaning "man". Applications of this root term include:
- Androgenic: The suffix [-(o)genic] means "pertaining to genesis, creation, or origin”. Something that creates a man
- Android: The suffix [-oid] originates from the Greek [oeides], meaning "similar to", "like", or "shaped like". Similar to a man
- Androgynous: root term [-gyn(o)-] originates from the Greek [γυναίκα] (gyneka) meaning "woman". The term refers to an individual that shows traits of both man and woman.
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.
- Details
The suffix [-emesis] originates from the Greek [εμετό] meaning "to vomit", to "throw up", or "spew". This suffix can be used as a stand-alone word. Applications of this suffix include:
- Hematemesis: Vomiting blood
- Hyperemesis: The prefix [hyper-] means "excessive". Excessive vomiting
- Hyperemesis gravidarum: A case of hyperemesis in the early stages of pregnancy
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.