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.
John Marshall (1818 – 1891)
John Marshall (1818 – 1891) British anatomist and surgeon. Initially, he apprenticed with Dr. Wales in Wisbech. In 1838 he entered the University College, London, where he studied with William Sharpey (1802 – 1880), who was then teaching physiology. In 1849 Marshall became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
In 1845 he became a demonstrator of anatomy at University College, London and in 1847 with the help of Jones Quain (1796 – 1865) and William Sharpey he was appointed as assistant surgeon.
Marshall was appointed professor of surgery at University College in 1866, and in 1884 he was appointed consulting surgeon to University College Hospital.
He was known as a great artist and used his abilities to teach anatomy with the help of blackboards. He lectured on anatomy to art students, and one of his books is titled “Anatomy for Artists” (London, 1878), which was received with great enthusiasm by his art students.
John Marshall wrote several books and works, mentioned in the “Sources” section of this article, but he is probably better known for his association with the eponymic “Ligament of Marshall”. In 1850, he published a detailed description (36 pages) of the embryology of the cardinal veins, the superior vena cava, and the presence of a persistent “left superior vena cava” with a description of the oblique vein of the left atrium, the obliterated Duct of Cuvier, and the fold of pericardium over this duct that today carries his name.
The paper was published in the journal “Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society”, and the title was “On the Development of the Great Anterior Veins Man and Mammalia; including an Account of certain remnants of Fœtal Structure found in the Adult, a Comparative View of these Great Veins the different and an Analysis of their occasional peculiarities in the Human Subject”. The sketches that accompany this seminal paper were drawn by him.
If you are interested in reading this paper, it is available online at the Royal Society website. For the actual publication in PDF format, click here.
Marshall also is recognized for being one of the first to use electrocautery in surgery, as well as being a pioneer in the removal of lower extremity varicose veins. He was the first to demonstrate that cholera can be spread through contaminated drinking water.
The image shows the ligament of Marshall (yellow arrow), the left pulmonary artery (LPA), and the left superior pulmonary vein (LSPV).
Personal note: My thanks to an attendee to one of my cardiovascular lectures. He asked who was Marshall of the "ligament of Marshall:... Here is the answer. Dr. Miranda.
Sources and publications:
1. “A Description of the Human Body, its Structure and Functions” London, 1860, 4to, with folio plates; 4th ed. 1883.
2. “Anatomy for Artists” London, 1878, royal 8vo; 2nd ed. 1883; 3rd edit. 1890.
3. “A Rule of Proportion for the Human Figure” 1878, fol.
4 “A Series of Life-size Anatomical Diagrams” seven sheets.
5. “Physiological Diagrams” life size, eleven sheets.
6. “On the Relations between the Weight of the Brain and its Parts, and the Stature and Mass of the Body” 1892, J Anat Physiol
7. “The Brain of the late George Grote” 1892, J Anat Phys
8. “On the Development of the Great Anterior Veins Man and Mammalia; including an Account of certain remnants of Fœtal Structure found in the Adult, a Comparative View of these Great Veins the different and an Analysis of their occasional peculiarities in the Human Subject” 1850 Phil Trans R Soc 140:133 - 170
9. Portrait of J. Marshall by Alphonse Legros, Courtesy of Wikipedia. Public Domain.