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Review
. 2013:2013:596027.
doi: 10.1155/2013/596027. Epub 2013 Dec 12.

The maze of the cerebrospinal fluid discovery

Leszek Herbowski  1
Affiliations
Review

The maze of the cerebrospinal fluid discovery

Leszek Herbowski. Anat Res Int. 2013.

Abstract

The author analyzes a historical, long, and tortuous way to discover the cerebrospinal fluid. At least 35 physicians and anatomists described in the text have laid the fundamentals of recognition of this biological fluid's presence. On the basis of crucial anatomical, experimental, and clinical works there are four greatest physicians who should be considered as equal cerebrospinal fluid's discoverers: Egyptian Imhotep, Venetian Nicolo Massa, Italian Domenico Felice Cotugno, and French François Magendie.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The MRI sagittal neural tube section. The cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the brain and the spine within subarachnoid space is red-colored on this image.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The title page of Nicolo Massa's book from 1536 (the source: e-Book Google).
Figure 3
Figure 3
The title page of Dominici Cotunii's book from 1764 (Courtesy of Posner Memorial Collections, Carnegie Mellon University Libraries, Pittsburgh, PA).
Figure 4
Figure 4
The title page of François Magendie's book from 1842 (the original book: Göttingen state and University Library).
Figure 5
Figure 5
At the bottom of the 2nd column of the Edwin Smith's Papyrus, at the end of 24th line, and at the beginning of 25th one reading from left to right, we can see hieroglyphic signs (circled in blue) referring to cerebrospinal fluid (printed with permission of the New York Academy of Medicine).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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