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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A Moment in History

Jean-Louis Petit

Jean Louis Petit
(1674 – 1750)

French surgeon and anatomist, Jean Louis Petit was born in Paris in on March 13, 1674.  His family rented an apartment at his house to Alexis Littre (1658 – 1726), a French anatomist. Petit became an apprentice of Littre at seven years of age, helping him in the dissections for his lectures and at an early age became the assistant in charge of the anatomic amphitheater.

Because of Petit’s dedication to anatomy and medicine, in 1690 at the age of sixteen, became a disciple of a famous Paris surgeon, Castel.

In 1692, Petit entered the French army and performed surgery in two military campaigns. By 1693 he started delivering lectures and was accepted as a great surgeon, being invited to the most difficult operations.  In 1700 he was appointed Chief Surgeon of the Military School in Paris and in the same year he received the degree of Master of Surgery from the Faculty of Paris.

In 1715 he was made a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences and an honorary member of the Royal Society of London. He was appointed by the King as the first Director General of the Royal Academy of Surgery when it was founded in 1731.

Petit’s written works are of historical importance.  “Traite des Maladies des Os” ( A Treatise on Bone Diseases);  “Traite des Maladies Chirurgicales et des Operation” (A Treatise on Surgical Diseases and their Operations” This last book was published posthumously in 1774. He also published a monograph on hemorrhage, another on lachrymal fistula, and others.

He was one of the first to perform choIecystotomy and mastoidotomy. His original tourniquet design for amputations saved many in the battlefield and the design of the same surgical instrument today has not changed much since its invention by him.

His name is remembered in the lumbar triangle, also called the "triangle of Petit", and the abdominal hernia that can ensue through that area of weakness, the lumbar hernia or "Petit's hernia".

Sources:
1. “Jean Louis Petit – A Sketch of his Life, Character, and Writings” Hayne, AP San Fran Western Lancet 1875 4: 446-454
2. “Oeuvres compl?tes de Jean-Louis Petit” 1837 Imprimerie de F. Chapoulaud
3. Extraits de l'eloge de Jean-Louis Petit Ius dans Ia seance publique de I' Academie royale de chirurgie du 26 mai 1750” Louis A. Chirurgie 2001: 126 : 475- 81

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Depression and anxiety

Published: Tuesday, February 21, 2017 07:00 | Written by: Efrain A. Miranda, Ph.D. | Hits: 3946
This is a series of articles on depression published as a community service. The information in these articles follow our Privacy and Security Guidelines and cannot be construed as medical guidance. For additional information and counseling, consult with your physician or the appropriate health care professional of your choice. You can also find information on Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) here. For the initial article on this series click here.

This article could also be entitled:

What is the difference between unipolar and bipolar depression?

Mood is a range of emotions that describe how we "feel" at a particular point in time. Mood is called a "visceral" (gut-like) sensation and is difficult to describe. It is a sensation dependent on a group of deep brain structures known as the limbic system.

Being a spectrum, there are two ends or "poles" to the range. An one end we have the major depressive mood of darkness, despair, and loathing of one's self. At the other end or "pole" we have the manic feeling of happiness, feeling "high", with extreme irritability and quick actions without measuring potential consequences.

An MDD patient that is "stuck" at the dark end of the spectrum, is said to be "unipolar", as the Latin word unus and uni- mean "one". The patient is always at one pole, therefore "unipolar".

Depression
Click on the image for a larger view
Some depression patients have mood swings going from one end of the mood spectrum to the other. Since the medical prefix [bi-] means "two", these patients are said to have a "bipolar" type depression.

Some authors comment that there is not really a true unipolar depression for even unipolar depression patients move within the mood spectrum as their pathology evolves with treatment.

Experience tells us that as a depression patient starts to come out of their neurologically depressed state they may begin to show anxiety. This is easily treated by adding a secondary prescription course of right-sided low frequency treatment of TMS. As you go through your TMS Therapy treatment you may expect your prescription and dosage to change to accommodate your development towards a life without depression

References:
1. Barbee, J. G. (1998). Mixed symptoms and syndromes of anxiety and depression: Diagnostic, prognostic, and etiologic issues. Annals of Clinical Psychiatry, 10:15–29.
2. Regier, D. A., Rae, D. S., Narrow, W. E., Kaelber, C. T., & Schatzberg, A. F. (1998). Prevalence of anxiety disorders and their comorbidity with mood and addictive disorders. British Journal of Psychiatry. Supplement, 34: 24–28.

Next: What is TMS? (This article is under construction)

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a revolutionary treatment approved by the FDA in 2008. TMS has been proven safe and effective in the treatment of MDD with minimal or no side-effects. For more information on TMS click here.
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