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ANZ Journal of Surgery Jan 2022This review discusses how renaissance artists such as Leonardo and Michelangelo had to undertake anatomical studies of human cadavers in order to understand the anatomy... (Review)
Review
This review discusses how renaissance artists such as Leonardo and Michelangelo had to undertake anatomical studies of human cadavers in order to understand the anatomy that then informed their artworks, whether they were drawings, paintings or sculpture. Around this time, anatomists, such as Vesalius and Estienne, had to in part become artists or engage with artists and artisans to illustrate their many discoveries. This review tries to portray how this was occurring in a period in history not only when there was a shift-taking place in philosophical and theological thinking about the human condition but also when there was a concurrent revolution in the visual language with the advent of print reproduction. This allowed the creation of essentially the first medical texts, and the wide dissemination of newly acquired knowledge for the advancement of surgery and medicine henceforth. A classic example of where this did not align is Leonardo de Vinci many of whose original works were hidden for 150-400 years. This review also describes how learning anatomy and artistic endeavours still have a mutually beneficial relationship in the modern world-a second 'Renaissance'. Examples are given such as body painting, exposure of art students human cadavers resources and lastly there is consideration of how modern anatomy relies on many new technologies that allow students and practitioners to 'dissect' in a virtual sense and with the advent of a new visual language, that is, 3D printing, to create novel artforms of educational significance.
Topics: Anatomy; History, 16th Century; Humans; Knowledge; Learning; Medicine; Medicine in the Arts; Paintings
PubMed: 34636472
DOI: 10.1111/ans.17268 -
Journal of Perioperative Practice Apr 2023
Topics: Humans; Anatomists; Surveys and Questionnaires; Anatomy
PubMed: 37022794
DOI: 10.1177/17504589231159503 -
Clinical Anatomy (New York, N.Y.) Jan 2021COVID-19 has generated a global need for technologies that enable communication, collaboration, education and scientific discourse whilst maintaining physical distance.... (Review)
Review
COVID-19 has generated a global need for technologies that enable communication, collaboration, education and scientific discourse whilst maintaining physical distance. University closures due to COVID-19 and physical distancing measures disrupt academic activities that previously occurred face-to-face. Restrictions placed on universities due to COVID-19 have precluded most conventional forms of education, assessment, research and scientific discourse. Anatomists now require valid, robust and easy-to-use communication tools to facilitate remote teaching, learning and research. Recent advances in communication, video conferencing and digital technologies may facilitate continuity of teaching and research activities. Examples include highly-interactive video conferencing technology, collaborative tools, social media and networking platforms. In this narrative review, we examine the utility of these technologies in supporting effective communication and professional activities of anatomists during COVID-19 and after.
Topics: Anatomy; COVID-19; Communicable Disease Control; Communications Media; Cooperative Behavior; Education, Distance; Education, Medical; Humans; Online Social Networking; Physical Distancing; Research; Social Media; User-Computer Interface; Videoconferencing
PubMed: 32648289
DOI: 10.1002/ca.23649 -
Anatomical Sciences Education 2023Altmetrics are non-traditional metrics that can capture downloads, social media shares, and other modern measures of research impact and reach. Despite most of the... (Review)
Review
Altmetrics are non-traditional metrics that can capture downloads, social media shares, and other modern measures of research impact and reach. Despite most of the altmetrics literature focusing on evaluating the relationship between research outputs and academic impact/influence, the perceived and actual value of altmetrics among academicians remains nebulous and inconsistent. This work proposes that ambiguities surrounding the value and use of altmetrics may be explained by a multiplicity of altmetrics definitions communicated by journal publishers. A root cause analysis was initiated to compare altmetrics definitions between anatomy and medical education journal publishers' websites and to determine the comparability of the measurement and platform sources used for computing altmetrics values. A scoping content analysis of data from across eight publishers' websites revealed wide variability in definitions and heterogeneity among altmetrics measurement sources. The incongruencies among publishers' altmetrics definitions and their value demonstrate that publishers may be one of the root cause of ambiguity perpetuating confusion around the value and use of altmetrics. This review highlights the need to more deeply explore the root causes of altmetrics ambiguities within academia and makes a compelling argument for establishing a ubiquitous altmetrics definition that is concise, clear, and specific.
Topics: Humans; Anatomists; Floods; Anatomy; Social Media; Education, Medical
PubMed: 36876509
DOI: 10.1002/ase.2267 -
Evolutionary Anthropology Jan 2020In 1698, a creature with a perplexing mix of human and "ape" features died in London. Brought back to England by merchants who had acquired it during a trading mission...
In 1698, a creature with a perplexing mix of human and "ape" features died in London. Brought back to England by merchants who had acquired it during a trading mission to West Africa, it attracted the attention of the Royal Society, and after the death of what we now know was a juvenile chimpanzee, Edward Tyson, a distinguished physician/anatomist, was commissioned to undertake its dissection. Tyson, who was assisted by William Cowper, prepared a detailed written and graphic description of their meticulous dissection, and this forms the major part of his 1699 publication Orang-outang sive Homo sylvestris: or The Anatomy of a Pygmie compared with that of a Monkey, an Ape, and a Man. Tyson records the many ways his "pygmie" resembled, and differed from, modern humans, including acute assessments of its brain and pelvic anatomy. Tyson's monograph is a text-book example of the comparative method. He, and it, deserve more recognition.
Topics: Anatomy, Comparative; Animals; Anthropology, Physical; History, 17th Century; Humans; Primates
PubMed: 31994265
DOI: 10.1002/evan.21815 -
Surgical Neurology International 2021This article reports the evolution and consolidation of the knowledge of neuroanatomy through the analysis of its history. Thus, we propose to describe in a historical... (Review)
Review
This article reports the evolution and consolidation of the knowledge of neuroanatomy through the analysis of its history. Thus, we propose to describe in a historical review to summarize the main theories and concepts that emerged throughout brain anatomy history and understand how the socio-historical context can reflect on the nature of scientific knowledge. Therefore, among the diverse scientists, anatomists, doctors, and philosophers who were part of this history, there was a strong influence of the studies of Claudius Galen (AD 129-210), Leonardo da Vinci (1452- 1519), Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564), Franciscus Sylvius (1614-1672), Luigi Rolando (1773-1831), Pierre Paul Broca (1824-1880), Carl Wernicke (1848-1905), Korbinian Brodmann (1868-1918), Wilder Penfield (1891-1976), Mahmut Gazi Yasargil (1925), and Albert Loren Rhoton Jr. (1932-2016) on the fundamentals of neuroanatomy.
PubMed: 34345460
DOI: 10.25259/SNI_200_2021 -
Current Protocols Oct 2022When the microscope was first introduced to scientists in the 17 century, it started a revolution. Suddenly, a whole new world, invisible to the naked eye, was opened to...
When the microscope was first introduced to scientists in the 17 century, it started a revolution. Suddenly, a whole new world, invisible to the naked eye, was opened to curious explorers. In response to this realization, Nehemiah Grew, an English plant anatomist and physiologist and one of the early microscopists, noted in 1682 "that Nothing hereof remains further to be known, is a Thought not well Calculated". Since Grew made his observations, the microscope has undergone numerous variations, developing from early compound microscopes-hollow metal tubes with a lens on each end-to the modern, sophisticated, out-of-the-box super-resolution microscopes available to researchers today. In this Overview article, I describe these developments and discuss how each new and improved variant of the microscope led to major breakthroughs in the life sciences, with a focus on the plant field. These advances start with Grew's simple and-at the time-surprising realization that plant cells are as complex as animals cells, and that the different parts of the plant body indeed qualify to be called "organs", then move on to the development of the groundbreaking "cell theory" in the mid-19 century and the description of eu- and heterochromatin in the early 20 century, and finish with the precise localization of individual proteins in intact, living cells that we can perform today. Indeed, Grew was right; with ever-increasing resolution, there really does not seem to be an end to what can be explored with a microscope. © 2022 The Authors. Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Topics: Heterochromatin; History, 17th Century; History, 19th Century; History, 20th Century; Microscopy; Plants
PubMed: 36200878
DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.577 -
Surgical Neurology International 2022The German Anatomist Hubert Von Luschka first described the foramina of Luschka (FOL) in 1855 as lateral holes in the fourth ventricle. By his discovery, he refuted... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The German Anatomist Hubert Von Luschka first described the foramina of Luschka (FOL) in 1855 as lateral holes in the fourth ventricle. By his discovery, he refuted previous beliefs about the lateral recess as blind ends of the fourth ventricle, proving the continuity of the ventricular system with the central canal of the spinal cord. In this paper, we question the outline variations of the patent parts of FOL and their consistency, drawing attention to the apparent query of the valvular mechanism of FOL.
METHODS
We conducted a literature review in PubMed and Google Scholar databases to review the existing literature describing the history, pertinent anatomy, and function of FOL. In addition, we reviewed the original German book written by Luschka.
RESULTS
While reading the available articles and original works regarding FOL, we noticed the developmental phases through which FOL was discovered, tracking the process from Aristotle till Luschka's discovery. We also discussed controversies and opinions about FOL's existence and function.
CONCLUSION
FOL is halved into two compartments: choroidal and patent. The function of FOL resembles a oneway valve mechanism, and it depends on the patent slit-like part. Luschka had discovered over 20 anatomical structures, including several foramina, confusion in a debate may result from eponyms.
PubMed: 36447888
DOI: 10.25259/SNI_931_2022 -
European Neurology 2021In his serially published atlas of pathology, Anatomie Pathologique du Corps Humain (1829-1842), French anatomist and pathologist Jean Cruveilhier (1791-1874) provided...
In his serially published atlas of pathology, Anatomie Pathologique du Corps Humain (1829-1842), French anatomist and pathologist Jean Cruveilhier (1791-1874) provided an early clinical-pathologic description of Dyke-Davidoff-Masson syndrome. Cruveilhier's case was initially published around 1830, more than a century before the clinical and radiologic report of Dyke and colleagues in 1933 based on a series of patients studied with pneumoencephalography. Although Dyke and colleagues were apparently unaware of Cruveilhier's prior description, Cruveilhier's case manifested all of the key osseous and neuropathological features of Dyke-Davidoff-Masson syndrome as later elaborated by Dyke and colleagues: (1) cerebral hemiatrophy with ex vacuo dilation of the lateral ventricle, (2) ipsilateral thickening of the diploe of the skull, and (3) ipsilateral hyper-pneumatization of the frontal sinuses. In addition, Cruveilhier noted crossed cerebral-cerebellar atrophy in his case and correctly inferred a "crossed effect" between the involved cerebral hemisphere and the contralateral cerebellum. Cruveilhier's pathological case from 1830 clearly anticipated both the cases reported more than a century later by Dyke and colleagues based on pneumoencephalography and the more recent case reports recognized with computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging.
Topics: Atrophy; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Neuromuscular Diseases; Syndrome; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
PubMed: 33965957
DOI: 10.1159/000515808 -
World Neurosurgery Jul 2021Anatomic knowledge and insight depend on the cumulative contributions of anatomists over time, and eponyms pay homage to some of these individuals. (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
Anatomic knowledge and insight depend on the cumulative contributions of anatomists over time, and eponyms pay homage to some of these individuals.
METHODS
A PubMed literature review identified 11 eponymous arteries of the brain and spinal cord.
RESULTS
The 11 eponyms include the artery of Adamkiewicz, the artery of Bernasconi and Cassinari, the artery of Davidoff and Schechter, the recurrent artery of Heubner, McConnell's capsular arteries, the artery of Percheron, the artery of Salmon, the Vidian artery, the arteria termatica of Wilder, the circle of Willis, and the artery of Wollschlaeger and Wollschlaeger.
CONCLUSIONS
Eponyms remind us of an artery's importance and can improve our clinical acumen or technique. They have become an integral part of our day-to-day vocabulary, often without our historical knowledge of these anatomists. This report reviews these histories and the anatomy to deepen our appreciation of arterial eponyms in vascular neurosurgery.
Topics: Arteries; Brain; Eponyms; Humans; Neurosurgery; Neurosurgical Procedures; Spinal Cord
PubMed: 33548525
DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2021.01.115