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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 prefix [post-] has its origin as a Latin adverb meaning "after". There are two variations in the use of this Latin adverb. The first is in its use as "after" referring to the position of a structure. This use is limited and is the root for the term "posterior". The most common usage is for [post-] to be used in its true meaning of "after" referring to time.
Applications of this prefix include:
- postoperative: after the operation
- postmortem: from the Latin word [mortis] meaning "death". After death
- postpartum: from the Latin word [partum] meaning "birth". After birth
- postprandial: [prandium] is a Latin word meaning "a midday meal". Used to denote "after a meal"
- posthumous: from the Latin word [humus] meaning "ground". Refers to activities performed after burial
- postbellum: after a war
When using pure Latin terms, the word can be used as shown in the listing above, or they can be used as separate entities, such as "post partum", "post mortem", "post bellum", etc. (no hyphens). This leads to interesting facts, such as the pharmacological abbreviation "p.c." which stands for "post cibum"; the meaning of [cibum] is similar to [prandium], so "p.c." means "after a meal"
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The prefix [retro-] has a Latin origin and means "posterior", "backwards", or "behind". The main use of this prefix in human anatomy and surgery is "posterior".
Applications of this prefix include:
- retroesternal: posterior to the sternum, such as the heart or the internal thoracic vessels
- retropharyngeal: posterior to the pharynx, as in the "retropharyngeal space", a potential space found posterior to the pharynx
- retroperitoneal: posterior to the peritoneum, referring to abdominal organs found outside and posterior to the peritoneal sac, such as the aorta and kidneys
- retrogastric: posterior to the stomach, as in the "retrogastric space", an area also known as the "lesser bursa"
- retroversion: a posterior rotation or turn. Usually refers to the posterior rotation of the uterus or a joint
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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.
François Poupart
François Poupart (1661-1709). Physician, zoologist, entomologist, and anatomist, Francois Poupart was born in Le Mans, France. His origins were very humble and he studied Medicine in Paris as a very poor student. He had great interest in entomology, studying the anatomy of insects. Poupart obtained his MD a the University of Reims and was a surgeon at the H?tel (hospital) Dieu. A naturalist, Poupart is known for having written a monograph on the anatomy of the leech.
His life is mostly unknown. Poupart died at the age of 48. His name is eponymically associated with the inguinal ligament, which he described in detail in 1705. Although this structure was originally described by Gabrielle Fallopius, it was Poupart who stated the function of the inguinal ligament as an attachment for the three lateral muscles of the abdominal wall.
*: There is no known image of Francois Poupart that we could find. If you have any source, please let us know through our "Contact Us" form.
Sources:
1. "Two eponymous surgeons: Cowper and Poupart" Ellis, H. Brit J Hosp Med 2009 701:4 225
2. "The Anatomical History of the Leech" Poupart, F. Phil Transact 1697 19:722-726
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The word [pinna] is Latin and means "feather". It also means "wing". The variation [penna] as in the case of [pennate], means "winged". It refer to the external ear, or auricle. It appears that the use of the term [pinna] for ear arises from the ear-like or winged extensions of Viking and medieval helmets.
The ear has three components, the internal, middle, and external ear. The external ear is composed of the external acoustic canal and the pinna. The pinna is composed of fibrocartilage covered with skin, and has several ligaments and small muscles related to it. These muscles are extrinsic (between the pinna and the skull) and intrinsic (within the pinna) All these muscles have limited capabilities in the human.
The pinna receives blood supply from the anterior and posterior auricular arteries, and a small branch of the occipital artery. The nerve supply is by way of the great auricular nerve, the auricular branch of the vagus nerve, the auriculotemporal branch of the mandibular nerve, and the lesser occipital nerve.
The external (lateral) anatomy of the pinna is complicated and very detailed, with potential anatomical variations. Click on the image for a higher detail. The medial aspect of the pinna presents elevations which correspond to the depressions (fossae) on its lateral surface and they are named, eminentia conchae, eminentia triangularis, eminentia scaphoides, etc.
Image property of: CAA, Inc. Artist: Dr. Miranda
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The prefix [circum-] is Latin and means "around" or "about". It is used in medical terms such as:
- Circumcision: the root term [-cis-] meaning to "cut". To cut around
- Circumflex: the root term [flex] for [flexion] meaning to "bend". Bends around, as in "circumflex artery"
- Circumambulation: a patient that walks in circles
Also in everyday terms such as:
- Circumlocution: to talk around a subject
- Circumnavigation: To sail or navigate around
- Circumscribe: to write in circles or around a subject
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The word [flexion] comes from the Latin [flexere] meaning "to bend". In anatomy, flexion is the reduction in the angle between two bodily components that are communicated by a type of joint.
By contrast, [extension] refers to the opposite action, that is, the increase in the angle between two bodily components that are communicated by a type of joint.
The image shows flexion of the head, the upper extremity, and the lower extremity. Hover over the image to see extension of the same structures.
Excessive flexion (hyperflexion) or extension (hyperextension) of a joint can lead to potential pathology as would be the case of hyperextension of the neck as a result of a car crash (whiplash injury)
Note that in a human in the anatomical position, flexion of the upper extremity is an anterior movement, while flexion of the lower extremity is a posterior movement. You could make a case that in these image the upper extremity is performing an anteflexion (anterior flexion) while the lower extremity is performing a retroflexion (posterior flexion).
In the upper and lower extremities there are whole groups of muscles that, because of their action, are called flexors or extensors.