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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Georg Eduard Von Rindfleisch
(1836 – 1908)
German pathologist and histologist of Bavarian nobility ancestry. Rindfleisch studied medicine in Würzburg, Berlin, and Heidelberg, earning his MD in 1859 with the thesis “De Vasorum Genesi” (on the generation of vessels) under the tutelage of Rudolf Virchow (1821 - 1902). He then continued as a assistant to Virchow in a newly founded institute in Berlin. He then moved to Breslau in 1861 as an assistant to Rudolf Heidenhain (1834–1897), becoming a professor of pathological anatomy. In 1865 he became full professor in Bonn and in 1874 in Würzburg, where a new pathological institute was built according to his design (completed in 1878), where he worked until his retirement in 1906.
He was the first to describe the inflammatory background of multiple sclerosis in 1863, when he noted that demyelinated lesions have in their center small vessels that are surrounded by a leukocyte inflammatory infiltrate.
After extensive investigations, he suspected an infectious origin of tuberculosis - even before Robert Koch's detection of the tuberculosis bacillus in 1892. Rindfleisch 's special achievement is the description of the morphologically conspicuous macrophages in typhoid inflammation. His distinction between myocardial infarction and myocarditis in 1890 is also of lasting importance.
Associated eponyms
"Rindfleisch's folds": Usually a single semilunar fold of the serous surface of the pericardium around the origin of the aorta. Also known as the plica semilunaris aortæ.
"Rindfleisch's cells": Historical (and obsolete) name for eosinophilic leukocytes.
Personal note: G. Rindfleisch’s book “Traité D' Histologie Pathologique” 2nd edition (1873) is now part of my library. This book was translated from German to French by Dr. Frédéric Gross (1844-1927) , Associate Professor of the Medicine Faculty in Nancy, France. The book is dedicated to Dr. Theodore Billroth (1829-1894), an important surgeon whose pioneering work on subtotal gastrectomies paved the way for today’s robotic bariatric surgery. Dr. Miranda.
Sources:
1. "Stedmans Medical Eponyms" Forbis, P.; Bartolucci, SL; 1998 Williams and Wilkins
2. "Rindfleisch, Georg Eduard von (bayerischer Adel?)" Deutsche Biographie
3. "The pathology of multiple sclerosis and its evolution" Lassmann H. (1999) Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 354 (1390): 1635–40.
4. “Traité D' Histologie Pathologique” G.E.
Rindfleisch 2nd Ed (1873) Ballieres et Fils. Paris, Translated by F Gross
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The root term [-hepat-] arises from the Greek word [ηπαρ] (ipar) which means “liver”. It is used in many medical terms:
- Hepatic: The adjectival suffix [-ic] means “pertaining to”. Pertaining to the liver, as in “common hepatic artery”
- Hepatitis: The suffix [-itis] means “inflammation” or “infection”. Inflammation of the liver
- Hepatectomy: The suffix [-ectomy] means “removal of”. Removal of the liver
- Hepatomegaly: The suffix [-(o)megaly] means “enlargement”. An enlarged liver
Note: The links to Google Translate include an icon that will allow you to hear the pronunciation of the word.
Image in Public Domain, by Henry Vandyke Carter, MD - Gray's Anatomy.
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[UPDATED] The term [semilunar] means "half moon"; [luna] is Latin for "moon"). The term [semilunar valve] is a generic term used to describe both the pulmonary and aortic valves found at the exit of the right and left ventricle respectively. These valves are also called the "sigmoid valves"
Each valve is formed by three half-moon shaped leaflets (see accompanying image). Each leaftlet "hangs" loosely towards the lumen of the vessel, creating a space between the leaflet and the wall of the vessel. Each one of these spaces is called a "sinus of Valsalva".
The point where two leaflets meet is called a "commissure".
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The term [semilunar] is composed of the prefix [semi-] meaning "half", the root term [-lun-] which arises from the Latin word [luna] meaning "moon", and the adjectival suffix [-ar] meaning "pertaining to".
It is used to describe semicircular structures such as the leaflets or cusps that form both the both the pulmonary and aortic valves, Because of the shape of these leaflets these valves are also called "semilunar valves".
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The venae cordis minimae, or smallest cardiac veins are known eponimically as the "veins of Thebesius". These "veins" are open, valveless communication channels between the heart chambers and the subendocardial vascular plexus. The Thebesian veins are most prevalent in the right atrium, although they have been described in all four heart chambers.
Studies have been conducted that demonstrate that these channels communicate with both arteries and veins1. This being so, the Thebesian "veins" are not true veins, nor arteries. It has been argued that when performing a transmural myocardial revacularization procedure using lasers, the surgeon is only copying what nature already has built in the heart, the Thebesian veins.
The actual opening of the venae cordis minimae into the chambers of the heart are called the foramina Thebesii. The image shows an human heart dissection, where the right atrium has been opened and the foramina Thebesiiclearly seen. For a larger depiction, click on the image.
1. "Anatomy and clinical significance of ventricular Thebesian veins" Ansary A. Clin Anat 2001; 14(2) 102-10
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[UPDATED]The root term [-cephal-] is Greek, arising from the word [κεφάλι] (kef?li) , meaning "head". It was later latinized as [cephalicus]. The applications of this root term are multiple, as follows:
• Cephalic: The suffix [-ic] means "pertaining to", therefore, "pertaining to the head"
• Encephalon: The prefix [en-] means "inside or within", therefore "inside the head". Encephalon is another term for brain
• Anencephalic: The prefix [an-] means "without" Anencephalia is a condition where the brain does not develop.
• Cephalalgia: The suffix [-algia] means "pain". Cephalalgia is the medical term for "headache"
• Cephalad: The suffix [-ad] means "toward".
• Hydrocephaly: Process or condition of "water in the head"
• Dolichocephaly: From the Greek prefix [dolich-] meaning "long". Dolichocephaly is a condition where the head is abnormally large and long
Note: The links to Google Translate include an icon that will allow you to hear the pronunciation of the word.
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[UPDATED] The word is derived from the Greek; the prefix [hydr-] [υδρος]means "water", while the root term [-cephal-] means "head". The term [hydrocephalus] means "water in the head"; of course the "water" is cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) which accumulates excessively in the ventricular system of the brain.
There are several reasons why the amount of CSF within the brain can be excessive, increasing the intracranial pressure: An imbalance between production and absorption of CSF (excessive production or reduced absorption), or a blockage in the ventricular system causing a dilation of the ventricles. The excessive pressure can and will damage the delicate brain tissue. In the case of hydrocephaly (another form of the term) in a newborn the soft cartilage between the cranial bones will distend allowing for the head to dilate and reduce the damage to the brain tissues. A hydrocephalus shunt can allow the patient to reduce the size of the head and eventually lead a normal life.
In 1964 Dr. Salom?n Hakim described, in what was then considered a controversial publication, a condition known as "normal pressure hydrocephalus", usually associated with old-age, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. This condition is now widely accepted as a specific type of hydrocephalus.
The image depicts the ventricular system of the brain in a normal state. If you click on the image, a secondary image of a hydrocephalic baby courtesy of Wikipedia will appear. WARNING! This image is potentially disturbing. For a YouTube video of the insertion of a CSF shunt into the brain, click here.