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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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.
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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.
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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.
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Lateral view of the mandible
The word [mandible] has a Latin origin in the word [mandibula] which itself arises from the Latin word [mandere] meaning "to chew", and refers to the bony lower jaw (see accompanying image).
This term has been in use for a short time. Originally the term "maxilla" was used both the upper and lower jaw, naming one the "upper maxilla" and the other the "lower maxilla". Today the bony portion of the upper jaw is simply named "maxilla" while the bony portion of the lower jaw is called the "mandible".
Note: This article only deals with the etymology of the word "mandible". The anatomical description of the mandibular bone will be presented in a later article.
Source:
1. "Anatomy of the Human Body" Henry Gray 1918. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger
Original image public domain by Henry VanDyke Carter, MD.
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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.
Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle
Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle (1809 -1885) German physician, anatomist, histologist, and physiologist. Born in the city F?rth, Henle entered the University of Bonn and studied anatomy with Johannes Muller (1801 – 1859), a professor of anatomy and histology. Henle dedicated his efforts to scientific research, and became the managing editor of the journal “Archives of Anatomy, Physiology, and Scientific Medicine” founded by Muller.
Henle’s career in Berlin suffered after he was arrested for 40 days in jail, because of his past membership in a radical liberal and nationalistic student fraternity, the Burschenschaften. He transferred from Berlin to Zürich where he founded the School of Rational Medicine.
Among his publications, the “Allgemeine Anatomie “(1841) is considered the first treatise on microscopic histology. Also, his book “Handbuch der systematischen Anatomie des Menschen” (Handbook of Human Systematic Anatomy) is a great anatomy book with good illustrations.
Henle moved from Zürich to Heidelberg, and from there to Gôttingen, where he accepted the position of Professor of Anatomy. He stayed at Gôttingen until his death in 1885.
Henle’s many remembered contributions are mostly in the area of histology. His name is found in many eponyms. The eponym most associated with his name is “Henle’s loop”, part of the tubular component of a nephron.
- Crypts of Henle: Microscopic pockets located in the conjunctiva of the eye
- Henle's fissure: Fibrous tissue between the cardiac muscle fibers.
- Henle's ampulla: Ampulla of the uterine (Fallopian) tube
- Henle's layer: Outer layer of cells of root sheath of a hair follicle.
- Henle's ligament (tendon): Tendon of the transversus abdominis muscle.
- Henle's membrane: The layer forming the inner boundary of the choroid of the eye
Sources:
1. "The Origin of Medical Terms" Skinner, HA 1970 Hafner Publishing Co.
2. “The Man Behind the Eponym Jacob Henle: Henle’s Layer of the Internal Root Sheath” Steffen C. Am J Dermatopath (2001) 23(6): 549–551
3. “The life of Jacob Henle” Robinson A Medical Life Co. 1921.
Original image in the public domain. Courtesy of Wikipedia.
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These two terms are opposite, yet they need to be reviewed together. The word [antegrade] is Latin and means "to go before" or in a variation of the term, [anterograde] meaning "to go anterior or moving forward". The word [retrograde] is also Latin and means "to go or move behind (or posterior)". Based on their etymology, these words are of no use and confusing.
Now, if we use these words in the context of "proximal and distal" then the story changes. Based on our working definition of proximal and distal, the definition would be as follows:
Antegrade: Moving or in a relationship of proximal to distal. In the case of a hollow organ containing a moving fluid, it would mean "going with the flow"
Retrograde: Moving or in a relationship of distal to proximal. In the case of a hollow organ containing a moving fluid, it would mean "going against the flow"
The confusion caused by the lack of proper definition can be illustrated by this Letter to the Editor, published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine.