Johann Vesling (1598–1649): Seventeenth century anatomist of Padua and his Syntagma Anatomicum

Johann Vesling (1598–1649) was a German anatomist and surgeon who belonged to the golden period of the illustrious University of Padua. He made significant contributions to the advancement of anatomical knowledge during the 17th century and is remembered most for his remarkable anatomical work, the Syntagma Anatomicum, which was published in 1641. He was the first to describe the soleus muscle and to emphasize its resemblance to the sole fish. He produced the earliest illustrations of the human lymphatic system and was one of the first to document observations about the thoracic duct. He was also the first to report the bifurcation of the human hepatic portal vein on entering the fissure of the liver. His observations from embryological experiments were critical for understanding the development of the four‐chambered heart. He was one of the first authors to state that four pulmonary veins empty into the left atrium of the heart. Syntagma Anatomicum (1641) was the most widely used anatomical text in Europe for almost a century and was republished a number of times with editions in Latin, German, Dutch, and English. Syntagma was the first illustrated western anatomical text to reach Japan and laid the foundation for the development of European medicine there. The illustrations used in it deviated from the artistic convention that had characterized anatomical figures from the time of Vesalius, and focused instead on representing anatomical details to make them helpful for medicine and surgery. Clin. Anat. 27:1122–1127, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Jacobus Sylvius (1478-1555): physician, teacher, and anatomist

Jacques Dubois (1478-1555), better known by his Latin cognomen Jacobus Sylvius was one of the great anatomists and teachers of the Renaissance period. His legacy today, however, is marred by his feud with pupil Andreas Vesalius. The story of Sylvius's life provides the modern clinical anatomist with valuable lessons regarding the nature of orthodoxy, conflict, and the evolving nature of "truth."     

Giulio cesare casseri (c. 1552–1616): The servant who became an anatomist

Julius Casserius was born in a poor family in Piacenza in 1552. As a young man, he moved to Padua and soon after, he became a servant to Fabricius, a noted anatomist and professor at the Universitá Artista, who quickly became his mentor. Casserius eventually attended the University of Padua and received a degree in medicine and philosophy. In the following years, a rivalry ensued between Casserius and his former mentor as they competed for teaching privileges, conflicted on dissection philosophies, and disregarded each other's contributions in publications. Tragically, the conflict between these two influential anatomists may have overshadowed their contributions to the study of anatomy. Casserius was one of the first physicians to develop a comprehensive treatise on anatomy. Unfortunately, while Casserius prepared several tracts identifying novel structures, he did not live to see his master collection published as he died suddenly at the peak of his career in 1616. Interestingly, the English anatomist and surgeon John Browne used copies of Casserius' work for his own anatomy text and was labeled a plagiarist. It is the contributions from such pioneers as Casserius on which we base our current understanding of human anatomy. Clin. Anat. 27:675–680, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Charles‐pierre denonvilliers (1808–1872): Renowned anatomist,plastic surgeon,and influential member of French society

Charles‐Pierre Denonvilliers was one of the most influential and prolific French anatomists and surgeons of the 19th century. Born in Paris and educated at the Paris Faculty of Medicine in 1826, he steadily created a reputation for himself in the field of medicine. Starting in 1833, Denonvilliers lectured with exquisite clarity and scientific accuracy in surgery and anatomy. Not only did he make a name for himself in this arena but also as an anatomist of high caliber based on his anatomical dissections and presentations. These talents and skills afforded Denonvilliers the opportunity to acquire different other titles and positions throughout his career. His reputation as a plastic surgeon, anatomist, and lecturer coupled with his status and influence made his sudden death in 1872, an occasion of bereavement for the French medical profession. Clin. Anat. 26:788–792, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The cremasteric reflex and its muscle – a paragon of ongoing scientific discussion: A systematic review

The technique of triggering the cremasteric reflex and its respective signaling pathway is not described uniformly throughout the literature. As this reflex is a useful sign in diagnosing testicular torsion, orchitis, varicocele, and undescended testis, it seems desirable to identify and define the correct mechanism. Our aim was to investigate how the cremasteric reflex and its signaling pathway are described in the current literature and how the variability of the innervation of the inguinal region could affect the frequency of this reflex. Thirty‐five original articles and 18 current textbooks were included after searching PubMed (MEDLINE) and Scopus for the terms “cremaster muscle,” “cremasteric reflex,” and “genitofemoral nerve” and after applying all exclusion criteria. This systematic review was performed according to the PRISMA Statement Rules. Eliciting the cremasteric reflex was defined either as “rubbing of the upper inner thigh” or “rubbing of the skin under the inguinal ligament.” Four different afferent pathways among studies and three different pathways among textbooks were described and the frequency of an intact reflex ranged between 42.7 and 92.5% in newborns and between 61.7 and 100% in boys between 24 months and 12 years. Owing to the huge differences among the studies investigated and the lack of convincing results, it is not possible to define the correct way to elicit the cremasteric reflex. Four hypotheses about the afferent pathway are proposed on the basis of the literature. Further studies should be performed, concentrating on the afferent pathway(s) with respect to the individual innervation of the inguinal region. Clin. Anat. 30:498–507, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

William Cruikshank (1745–1800), anatomist and surgeon,and his illustrious patient,Samuel Johnson

William Cumberland Cruikshank (1745–1800) was a Scot who from 1771 until his death taught anatomy at the famous school of anatomy in Great Windmill Street, London, founded by William Hunter (1718–1783). Arguably, his most famous patient was Samuel Johnson, the celebrated 18th Century man of letters and author of the first English dictionary. This article, largely drawn from Johnson's correspondence, documents the medical condition that caused Johnson to consult Cruikshank and some of the social links between Johnson, Hunter, and Cruikshank. Clin. Anat. 28:836–843, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Oliver Wendell Holmes,Sr. (1809–1894): Physician,jurist, poet,inventor, pioneer,and anatomist

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. was a physician, dean of the Harvard Medical School, one of the best regarded American poets of the 19th century, father of a future United States Supreme Court Justice, inventor and — unknown to many — an anatomist. His friends included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Louis Pasteur. He trained with some of the most influential anatomists/surgeons of his day including Lisfranc, Larrey, Velpeau, Bigelow, and Dupuytren. As a teacher of anatomy, he had strong feelings regarding medical curricular reform and to some, was considered one of the best lecturers in the discipline. As dean, he pioneered social reform by admitting both white women and free black men to Harvard Medical School. He coined the term “anesthesia,” was the first American to introduce microscopy to a medical curriculum, and made important contributions to the understanding of the spread of infectious disease. Herein, we review the life of this influential American academic and focus on his contributions to the field of anatomy. Clin. Anat. 25:992–997, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Attic perfection in anatomy: Bernhard Siegfried Albinus (1697–1770) and Samuel Thomas Soemmerring (1755–1830)

In Albrecht von Haller's history of anatomy (1777), the period of “Anatomes perfectio” starts with Bernhard Siegfried Albinus. This great anatomist from Leyden was convinced of his concept of a “homo perfectus”, an ideal which was rooted in philosophy and which he attempted to bring to life in anatomical illustration through a synthesis of objectivity, symmetry and vitality. Over a generation later, this pursuit of perfection stood as a model for Samuel Thomas Soemmerring who strove to emulate Albinus in his own illustrations and text books. Rejecting the naturalistic alternative, he followed Albinus in attempting to visualize the ideal and invariable norm in anatomy – which in his eyes corresponded to ideal beauty – in such a way that all parts of the body were depicted as though they were alive. This classical approach to what Soemmerring called attic perfection in anatomy aimed at a unity stemming from both science and art. While he admired it in Albinus’ atlases and writings, the term may be applied to his own works as well. In my article, these aspects are discussed against the background of the alternative naturalistic style in anatomy as championed by Govard Bidloo, Albrecht von Haller and William Hunter.     

Large platelet aggregates in endoscopic ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration of the pancreas and peripancreatic region: A clue for the diagnosis of intrapancreatic or accessory spleen

Intrapancreatic and intraabdominal accessory spleens (IPIASs) are rarely encountered in endoscopic ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration (EUS‐FNA) biopsies. However, as incidentally discovered IPIAS can mimic a benign or malignant pancreatic neoplasm on imaging studies, a definitive diagnosis made by EUS‐FNA can avert an unnecessary surgical intervention or additional radiologic follow‐up. We report five cases of intrapancreatic splenules and one case of accessory spleen (AS) in which a definitive diagnosis was made on EUS‐FNA. Previously recognized FNA cytomorphologic features of splenic tissue, including ASs and splenosis, are endothelial cells and polymorphous lymphocytes admixed with neutrophils, eosinophils, plasma cells, histiocytes, and lymphoglandular bodies. We describe the additional finding of abundant large platelet aggregates as another distinguishing feature of splenic tissue on FNA. In all six cases, large platelet aggregates were identified along with polymorphous lymphoid cells, lymphoglandular bodies, loose aggregates of endothelial cells and scattered or aggregated bland spindle cells. A review of 10 consecutive cases of EUS‐FNA‐sampled benign intraabdominal lymph nodes showed that the presence of large platelet aggregates, three‐dimensional aggregates of lymphoid cells and of bland slender spindle cells and the absence of follicular germinal cell components (tingible body macrophages and lymphohistiocytic aggregates) are useful in differentiating IPIASs from reactive lymph nodes. Immunoperoxidase stains were useful to confirm a suspected IPIASs by showing CD31‐positive acellular flocculent material, consistent with large platelet aggregates and a rich CD8‐positive endothelial cell network between CD45‐positive lymphoid cells and CD68‐positive histiocytes in all six cases. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2013;41:661–672. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

John Browne (1642–1702): Anatomist and plagiarist

In contrast to many other physicians of his age, John Browne (1642–1702), an English anatomist and surgeon, managed to strike a balance in his career that spanned relative obscurity, prestige, and notoriety. Among his more prestigious credits, Browne was Surgeon in Ordinary to King Charles II and William III. He also had numerous publications to his name, some of which are credited as great innovations. His career, however, was tempered by his most important book, which has been critiqued by his contemporaries as well as modern historians as plagiarism. Although Browne undeniably copied the works of others and published them under his name, he was not alone in this practice. Various forms of intellectual thievery were common in Browne's day, and there were many perpetrators. The life of this overlooked figure in the history of anatomy and the stigma attached to him will be examined. Clin. Anat. 23:1–7, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

A comparative needle study: EUS‐FNA procedures using the HD ProCore™ and EchoTip® 22‐gauge needle types

The specific needle sizes/types used in performing endoscopic ultrasound‐guided fine needle aspirations (EUS‐FNA) vary. The HD ProCore^? is a 22‐gauge beveled needle allowing for core biopsy along with aspiration material. In this study we compare this needle with a standard 22‐gauge needle. Between April 1, 2011 and November 15, 2011, 18 patients undergoing EUS‐FNA using the HD ProCore^? needle were compared to a control group of 18 cases using the standard 22‐gauge needle. Smears were assessed for: three‐dimensional clusters, thick obscuring clusters, monolayer sheets, cellularity, crowded obscuring single cells, blood, and nuclear staining. Cell blocks were assessed for cellularity and presence of diagnostic material. Records were reviewed for the overall adequacy, number of FNA passes, and patient follow‐up. Overall, the two needle groups demonstrated similar results for the cytology parameters, amount of diagnostic cell block material, adequacy, and accuracy. The mean number of passes to achieve adequacy varied between the groups [2.94 for the standard 22‐gauge needle group versus 2.11 for the beveled needle group (P=0.03)] with no meaningful difference in case duration between needle groups. No complications were reported. The beveled EUS needle affords similar cytologic interpretability, adequacy, diagnostic accuracy, and amount of cell block material as a standard needle. There was a statistically significant trend toward fewer passes to achieve adequacy with the beveled EUS‐FNA needle. Therefore, the EUS‐FNA needle with a lateral bevel is a diagnostically similar alternative to standard endoscopy needles, the possibility that this beveled needle may improve per pass adequacy requires further verification. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2013;41:1069–1074. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.