History of the hip joint pectineofoveal fold.

Although Josias Weitbrecht described the retinacula of the hip joint in his 1742 Syndesmologia, the anatomist Cesare Amantini of Perugia specifically studied the medial retinacula he referred to as the pectineofoveal fold in a late 19th-century monograph. This particular synovial fold stretches from the lesser trochanter to the osteocartilaginous junction of the femoral head along a virtual line connecting the lesser trochanter and the fovea for the ligament of the head. Although mentioned by some anatomists and radiologists, and despite its possible involvement in specific hip joint pathologies (fractures, impingements), it is surprising that Amantini's pectineofoveal fold remains ignored by most anatomy and clinical anatomy books. This study aims to verify if Cesare Amantini effectively drew attention to this synovial fold for the first time and coined the term "pectineofoveal fold," as well as determine whether most classical textbooks (i.e., published from 1890 to 2017) acknowledge the discovery and include it in the description of the hip joint. A possible evolutionary link between this synovial fold and the ambiens and pectineus muscles exists and should be discussed.

[About an exceptional case of congenital sternal fissure: Eugene Groux (1859)]. / Un cas exceptionnel de fissure sternale congenitale: Eugene Groux (1859).

The congenital sternal fissure of Eugene Groux is outstanding in every respect: at first, it constitutes a sole case in history of medicine, for this fissure was complete (from the manubrium to the xiphoid process). Secondly, it was an object of medical examinations for over 2000 physicians all around the world. Thirdly, the patient himself wrote a monograph devoted to his malformation (1859). We analyze in this paper the monograph of Eugene Groux, as well as the anatomicomedical conclusions which followed this exceptional case.

Medieval neuroanatomy: the text of Mondino dei Luzzi and the plates of Guido da Vigevano.

The Italian anatomists Mondino dei Luzzi (c. 1275-1326) and Guido da Vigevano (c. 1280-1349) must be regarded as pivotal figures in the history of medieval anatomy. Mondino's book (written in 1316 and published in 1478) was the first treatise of anatomy based on the dissection of human cadavers, whereas the plates of Vigevano's manuscript (1345) marked the beginning of a new trend which became increasingly widespread during the following centuries: the use of anatomical illustration in textbooks. Though their neuroanatomical descriptions are rather simple and somewhat difficult to correlate with current descriptions, analysis of these works sheds new light on the knowledge of brain and spinal cord anatomy in the Middle Ages (Olry, 1996). Vigevano's contribution to neuroanatomy, however, appears more important than that of Mondino dei Luzzi, probably because his anatomical illustrations often compelled the draftsman to break free from Galen's dominating influence.

[The phobia of being buried alive from Michael Ranft (1728) to Eugene Bouchut (1849)]. / La phobie des inhumations prématurées de Michael Ranft (1728) à Eugène Bouchut (1849).

In the XVIII and XIXth centuries, a real morbid fear of premature burial raged all over Europe. Though this question is lost in the mists of time, the publication of Michael Ranft's book (1728) on the one hand, and the awarding of the Manni Prize to Eugène Bouchut (1849) on the other hand, are two key-dates, between which the amount of researches on the diagnosis of death show the need of reassuring answers to an anxious population. This paper summarizes the bibliography on premature burial, and its results on the diagnosis of death from 1728 till 1849.

Winslow's contribution to our understanding of the cervical portion of the sympathetic nervous system.

Jacques Bénigne Winslow (1669-1760) was one of the most brilliant anatomists of the XVIIIth century. Though having Danish origins, he spent most of his life in Paris where he held the chair of anatomy of the Jardin du Roy between 1742 and 1758. Among his numerous contributions in the field of human anatomy, the "Exposition anatomique de la structure du corps humain" (1732) had a great influence on anatomical literature for over a century. Winslow's description of the sympathetic nervous system had a significant importance to the understanding of this controversial part of the nervous system. The structure and distribution of the cervical part of the sympathetic nervous system, as described in his textbook (edition of 1752), were analyzed in the light of our current knowledge. It appears that Winslow not only modified the terminology by replacing the term "intercostal nerve" by that of the "great sympathetic nerve", but also knew, with a few exceptions, the systematization of the cervical ganglia and their branches. The name of Winslow is therefore undissociable from the history of the sympathetic nervous system.

Nitric oxide synthase in guinea pig sympathetic ganglia: correlation with tyrosine hydroxylase and neuropeptides.

Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) has previously been reported in a small population of postganglionic sympathetic neurons in the guinea pig. The present study of paravertebral ganglia and the inferior mesenteric ganglion aimed to classify these neurons according to their content of neuropeptides (calcitonin gene-related peptide, neuropeptide Y, vasoactive intestinal peptide) and the rate-limiting enzyme of catecholamine synthesis, tyrosine hydroxylase, by means of immunohistochemical and histochemical double-labelling techniques. NOS-containing neurons belonged to the non-catecholaminergic population of postganglionic neurons, and partial co-existence was found with neuropeptide Y and vasoactive intestinal peptide immunoreactivities but not with calcitonin gene-related peptide. However, most of the NOS-containing neurons contained none of the neuropeptides, thus representing a hitherto unrecognized population of postganglionic neurons. The findings show that NOS is localized to small but neurochemically highly specific populations of postganglionic neurons, which most likely reflects an association with target- and function-specific pathways.

[From Paul Broca to the long-term potentiation: the difficulties in confirming a limbic identity]. / De Paul Broca à la potentiation à long terme: les aléas de l'affirmation d'une identité limbique.

Does the limbic system have an anatomical, architectonic, histochemical, functional or phylogenic identity? The history of "limbic concept" reveals to us a paradox: its identity seems more and more difficult to definitive even though its description becomes more explicit.

Anatomical basis of the anterior vertebral graft using a pediculated rib.

The rib is frequently used as a bone graft in the surgery of the anterior spine. The advantage of the rib is that it is easily used as a pediculated vascularized graft when it is transferred to the anterior vertebrae. The average length of the pedicle is over 5 cm for the ribs number 3 to 10. Their useful length of bone is 12 cm. With this technique fusion of 4 to 6 lumbar or thoracic vertebrae is possible.