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Jean George Bachmann
(1877 – 1959)
French physician–physiologist whose experimental work in the early twentieth century provided the first clear functional description of a preferential interatrial conduction pathway. This structure, eponymically named “Bachmann’s bundle”, plays a central role in normal atrial activation and in the pathophysiology of interatrial block and atrial arrhythmias.
As a young man, Bachmann served as a merchant sailor, crossing the Atlantic multiple times. He emigrated to the United States in 1902 and earned his medical degree at the top of his class from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia in 1907. He stayed at this Medical College as a demonstrator and physiologist. In 1910, he joined Emory University in Atlanta. Between 1917 -1918 he served as a medical officer in the US Army. He retired from Emory in 1947 and continued his private medical practice until his death in 1959.
On the personal side, Bachmann was a man of many talents: a polyglot, he was fluent in German, French, Spanish and English. He was a chef in his own right and occasionally worked as a chef in international hotels. In fact, he paid his tuition at Jefferson Medical College, working both as a chef and as a language tutor.
The intrinsic cardiac conduction system was a major focus of cardiovascular research in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The atrioventricular (AV) node was discovered and described by Sunao Tawara and Karl Albert Aschoff in 1906, and the sinoatrial node by Arthur Keith and Martin Flack in 1907.
While the connections that distribute the electrical impulse from the AV node to the ventricles were known through the works of Wilhelm His Jr, in 1893 and Jan Evangelista Purkinje in 1839, the mechanism by which electrical impulses spread between the atria remained uncertain.
In 1916 Bachmann published a paper titled “The Inter-Auricular Time Interval” in the American Journal of Physiology. Bachmann measured activation times between the right and left atria and demonstrated that interruption of a distinct anterior interatrial muscular band resulted in delayed left atrial activation. He concluded that this band constituted the principal route for rapid interatrial conduction.
Subsequent anatomical and electrophysiological studies confirmed the importance of the structure described by Bachmann, which came to bear his name. Bachmann’s bundle is now recognized as a key determinant of atrial activation patterns, and its dysfunction is associated with interatrial block, atrial fibrillation, and abnormal P-wave morphology. His work remains foundational in both basic cardiac anatomy and clinical electrophysiology.
Sources and references
1. Bachmann G. “The inter-auricular time interval”. Am J Physiol. 1916;41:309–320.
2. Hurst JW. “Profiles in Cardiology: Jean George Bachmann (1877–1959)”. Clin Cardiol. 1987;10:185–187.
3. Lemery R, Guiraudon G, Veinot JP. “Anatomic description of Bachmann’s bundle and its relation to the atrial septum”. Am J Cardiol. 2003;91:148–152.
4. "Remembering the canonical discoverers of the core components of the mammalian cardiac conduction system: Keith and Flack, Aschoff and Tawara, His, and Purkinje" Icilio Cavero and Henry Holzgrefe Advances in Physiology Education 2022 46:4, 549-579.
5. Knol WG, de Vos CB, Crijns HJGM, et al. “The Bachmann bundle and interatrial conduction” Heart Rhythm. 2019;16:127–133.
6. “Iatrogenic biatrial flutter. The role of the Bachmann’s bundle” Constán E.; García F., Linde, A.. Complejo Hospitalario de Jaén, Jaén. Spain
7. Keith A, Flack M. The form and nature of the muscular connections between the primary divisions of the vertebrate heart. J Anat Physiol 41: 172–189, 1907.
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The aorta is the main and largest artery of the systemic portion of the circulatory system. It is one of the great vessels of the heart. It starts at the ventriculoaortic anulus and ends at its bifurcation of the aorta in front of the body of the 4th lumbar vertebra. At this point the aorta is continuous with the left and right common iliac arteries.
The aorta has four segments: ascending aorta, aortic arch, descending or thoracic aorta, and abdominal aorta.
The etymology of the term [aorta] is not clear. The first reference of this structure is from Aristotle, who uses the word "aorta", although in the same work he refers to it as the "tendinous vein". Adrian Van Der Spigelius (1578 - 1625) mentions that the name aorta was given to the curved sheath of a Macedonian knife which has a pronouncedly curved handle (the aorta has a pronounced curve at the aortic arch). Yet another interpretation comes from the Greek, where a similar word means a "curved shoulder strap".
Sources:
1. "The origin of Medical Terms" Skinner, AH, 1970
2. "Medical Meanings" Haubrich, William S. Am Coll Phys Philadelphia 1997
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This term is incorrectly spelled [annulus] in most literature. The proper term [anulus] is a derivative of Latin and means "ring" or "circle". The term anulus was adopted by anatomists worldwide in 1955, with the publication of the Nomina Anatomica (Paris). The plural for for anulus is anuli.
There are many ring-like structures or anuli in the human body:
- anulus inguinalis superficialis: Superficial inguinal ring
- anulus inguinalis profundus: Deep inguinal ring
- anulus fibrosus: Center region of an intervertebral disc
- anulus lymphaticus pharyngis: Pharyngeal lymphoid ring or ring of Waldeyer , etc.
Sources:
1. "The origin of Medical Terms" Skinner, AH, 1970
2. "Terminologia Anatomica: International Anatomical Terminology (FCAT)" Thieme,1998
3. "Gray's Anatomy"38th British Ed. Churchill Livingstone 1995
4. "The Doctor's Dyslexicon" Dirckx, JH;Am J Dermatopathol 2005;27:86–88
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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.
Lorenz Heister (1683-1758) A German surgeon, physician, anatomist, and botanist, Lorenz Heister [also known as Laurentius Heisterus] was born at Frankfurt-am-Main in 1683. As a result of his early studies, he became proficient in Latin, French, English and Dutch. He started medical studies at the University of Giessen, later continuing in Amsterdam, and Leyden, where he obtained his MD degree in 1708.
For a short time Heister became an army surgeon. In 1710 he was appointed Professor of Anatomy and Surgery at the University of Altfdorf. Although he lectured in Latin, Heister published his anatomical treatise “Compendium Anatomicum” in German in 1718. Later, Latin, French, Italian, and Spanish translations were created and published. Heister’s book became the main anatomical and surgical textbook in Europe. The English version was first published in 1743.
Heister is considered the “Father of German Surgery”, including in his books the management of hemorrhage, wounds, fractures, bandaging, instrumentation, and surgery. Heister described the surgical treatment of breast cancer, hemothoraces, spinal fractures, trepanation, oral surgery, and even obstetrical emergencies. He introduced the term “tracheotomy.” Heister also studied the eye, confirming that cataracts are formed within the lens.
His name is remembered eponymically in two structures:
- Heister’s valve (plica spiralis) a spiral fold of mucosa found in the cystic duct
- Heister’s diverticulum (bulbus superius venae jugularis interna), a dilation of the internal jugular vein found at its origin from the jugular foramen of the base of the cranium
Heister's name is spelled Heisters, in his "Compendium Anatomicum" published in 1756.
Sources:
1. "Heister of the spiral valve of Heister - Lorenz Heister" Gastroenter Hepat News (2006): 131 (3) 696.
2. “Lorenz Heister: Surgeon (1683-1758)” Stewart, J. Can Med Assoc J. 1929 20(4): 418–419.
3. "Lorenz Heister (1683-1758). Eighteenth century surgeon" JAMA 202 (11), 1048-1049
4. "Lorenz Heister and oral disease with the original text from his papers". Shklar , G. J Hist Dent (2007); 55:2 68-74
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The suffix [-(o)plasty] has a Greek origin and means "formed or molded". It is used in surgery to denote a surgical repair where the organ or body part is re-formed. For practical purposes, a great definition for this suffix is "surgical reshaping".
If an organ or body part is surgically manipulated, cut, or opened, then there are two ways to repair the damage. The first one is to repair and leave it exactly as it was before the operation. The proper suffix to use in this case is [-orrhaphy], meaning "repair". The second case is when the organ has been repaired in such a way that is different in shape than when the operation started. In this case the proper suffix to use is [-oplasty].
Some applications of this suffix are:
- Hernioplasty: Surgical reshaping of a hernia
- Abdominoplastly: Surgical reshaping of the abdomen
- Rhinoplasty: Surgical reshaping of the nose
- Aneurysmoplasty: Surgical reshaping of an aneurysm
- Mammoplastly: Surgical reshaping of the breast
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A serosa is a type of epithelium embryologically derived from the mesoderm, thus a serosa can also be called a [mesothelium]. Serosal membranes are found forming sacs that surround structures in the body, such as the pericardium, pleural membranes, and peritoneum.
Serous membranes are characterized by a thin single-layer mesothelium covering a layer of vascularized loose connective tissue. A serosa produces (and absorbs) a watery fluid called "serous fluid" which serves to lubricate organs that require movement such as the heart, lungs and digestive tract : pericardial fluid, pleural fluid, and peritoneal fluid.
The excess production (effusion) of serous fluid can cause serious pathology, such as pericardial tamponade, hydrothorax, or ascitis (peritoneal effusion)
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The [triquetrum] is one of the bones of the proximal row of carpal bones that form the wrist. Because of its wedge-shape it is also called the [cuneiform] bone, from the Latin [cuneus], meaning "wedge". Other names for this bone are [triangular] bone and [os triquetrum].
The triquetrum bone articulates with the lunate bone laterally, the pisiform bone anteriorly, and the hamate bone distally. It is separated from the distal ulna by a triangular articular disc.
The accompanying image shows the anterior (volar) surface of the wrist. Click on the image for a larger picture.
Image modified from the original: "3D Human Anatomy: Regional Edition DVD-ROM. Courtesy of Primal Pictures