1672GengaB

The author reports for the first time a case of absence of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) in both hip joints. In the book in Italian, this structure is named "Legamento rotondo". It is noteworthy that according to Bernardino Genga: "…this ligament is the strongest, supporting not only the femur but the entire body."

The preliminary translation was done in collaboration with ChatGPT 3.5.

Genga B. Anatomia chirurgica cioe Istoria anatomica dell'ossa, e muscoli del corpo humano, con la descrittione de vasi piu riguardeuoli che scorrono per le parti esterne, & un breue trattato del moto, che chiamano circolatione del sangue di Bernardino Genga da Mondolfo. Roma: per Nicolò Angelo Tinassi, 1672.

Quote pp. 143-144

Offo Ifchio. Legamento rotondo dell’ Ischio, e Femore mancato.

Il terzo finalmente è l' Offo Ifchio, da' Latini of chiamato Os Coxendicis, da Celso Coxa, nel quale Ischio offi offerva quell' acetabolo maggiore d' ogni altro, dove fi riceve il Capo del Femore, il qual' Acetabolo negl' Infanti fi riconosce manifeftamente non effer folo dell' Offo Ifchio, ma formato da tutte tre le fuddette Offa. Intorno a quefto acetabolo vi è un Sopracciglio, o Lembo cartilaginoso, che rende la cavità più profonda, la quale internamente è incroftata di Cartilagine, e nel fondo ha un feno, dal quale nafce un legamento rotondo, che ferve ad alligare il Capo del Femore, e rendere più ftabile l'articolazione, la quale fi fa per Enarthrofin: oltre al detto legamento v' è un' altro legamento membranofo affai groffo, e robufto, il quale abbraccia tanto la parte fuperiore del Femore, quanto l'eftremità dell' acetabolo fuddetto.

Ischium. Collapsed round ligament of the ischium and femur.

Finally, the third is the ischium, which the Latins called Os Coxendicis, and Celsus – Coxa, in which the ischium has a large acetabulum, larger than any other [socket], where the head of the femur is located, the acetabulum in infants, apparently, it is not only formed by the ischium, but is formed by all three of these bones. Around this acetabulum there is a brow or cartilaginous growth that makes the socket deeper, which is covered inside with cartilage, and at the bottom there is a depression from which comes the round ligament, which serves to attach the head of the femur and makes the joint more stable, which is enarthrosis; in addition to the aforementioned ligament, there is another membranous ligament, quite thick and strong, which embraces both the upper part of the femur and the edges of the acetabulum.

Quote pp. 144-145

L'Autore ristrovo, mancare il Legamento rotondo.

Nell' Anno 1662. facendo io pubblicamente la diffecazione de' Mufcoli del Femore, tagliai quefto legamento membranofo, per dimoftrare tal' care Articolazione, e m'occorfe (cafo veramente maraviglioso, nè mai, ch' io fappia, rincontrato da altri) che mancava il fuddetto Legamento rotondo, fenza che tanto nella cavità fuddetta, quanto nel capo del Femore vi foffero quei feni, che naturalmente in tutti fi offervano, ne' quali ftà aderente il detto Legamento. Furono alcuni, che fubito difsero, poter' essere ftata quefta mancanza caufata da lufsazione, che antecedentemente poteva aver patita il Paziente, per la quale efsendofi rotto il detto Legamento, a poco a poco dovevafi efser confumato. Non diedi rifpofta alcuna, come poteva, con dire, che la lufsazione perfetta del Femore, maffime con difcoprimento di tal Legamento, farebbe ftata affolutamente incurabile, quando quefti beniffimo camminava: ed in che modo potevano mancare i Seni? ma, essendo l'altra parte del Cadavere infepolta, alla prefenza delli medefimi Aftanti tagliai l'altro Femore, e ritrovai il medefimo. Lettore, fo, che ti fembrarà ftrano il preftar fede a queft' Iftoria, tanto più, fe bene confideri, che quefto legamento è il più robufto, che non folo foftenga il Femore, ma con efso tutto il Corpo e confidera però, che io dico, efsermi accaduto in pubblico, e molti vi fono, che se ne ricordano. E' ben vero, che l'altro Legamento era afsai duro, grosso, e robufto, che poteva fupplire alla mancanza del rotondo.

The author discovered the absence of the round ligament.

In 1662, when I publicly dissected the muscles of the thigh, I cut this membranous ligament to exhibit this joint, and it happened to me (a truly astonishing case, which has never, so far as I know, occurred in others) that there was no round ligament, although in the said cavity and in the head of the femur there were those sinuses which are naturally present in all, and to which this ligament is attached. Some immediately suggested that this absence could have been caused by a dislocation that the patient may have experienced earlier, causing the ligament to gradually dissolve after tearing. I didn't give any response, as I could, saying that a complete dislocation of the femur, especially with the discovery of such a ligament, would have been absolutely incurable when the patient was moving so well; and how could the sinuses disappear? But, since the other part of the body was untouched, in the presence of the same witnesses, I cut the other thigh and found the same thing. Reader, I understand that it may seem strange to you to believe this story, especially if you consider that this ligament is the strongest, supporting not only the femur but the entire body, but consider that I say it happened publicly, and many remember it. Indeed, the other ligament was strong, thick, and robust enough to compensate for the absence of the round one.

External links

Genga B. In Hippocratis Aphorismos ad chirurgiam spectantes. Commentaria eminentissimo, ac reuerendissimo principi Francisco Mariae cardinali Medices dicata a Bernardino Genga de Mondulpho status Urbini ... Latino, ac Italico idiomate ad communiorem intelligentiam exarata. Romae: typis Reu. Cam. Apost. 1694. [archive.org]

Authors & Affiliations

Bernardino Genga (1620-1690) was a scholar of Classical medical texts, anatomist and surgeon in Rome. [wikipedia.org]

Bernardino Genga
Engraving by Carlo J. Allet based on a drawing by Guil. Sarrabat;
original in the 1694GengaB (CC0 – Public Domain, no change)

Keywords

ligamentum capitis femoris, ligamentum teres, ligament of head of femur, role, synonyms, absence, observation, strength

NB! Fair practice / use: copied for the purposes of criticism, review, comment, research and private study in accordance with Copyright Laws of the US: 17 U.S.C. §107; Copyright Law of the EU: Dir. 2001/29/EC, art.5/3a,d; Copyright Law of the RU: ГК РФ ст.1274/1.1-2,7

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