Skip to main content

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. 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. [archive.org]

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


BLOG CONTENT

EXPERIMENTS AND OBSERVATIONS

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

LCF in 2026 (September)

  LCF in 2026 (September )  (Quotes from articles and books published in September   2026 mentioning the ligamentum capitis femoris)   Goetz, J. E., Hockman, J., & Willey, M. C. (2026). Rabbit models of hip dysplasia: a narrative review. Laboratory animal research , 42 (1), 32.   [i]   link.springer.com   Kahana-Rojkind, A. H., Strok, M. J., Walsh, E. G., Quesada-Jimenez, R., Kuhns, B. D., & Domb, B. G. (2026). Factors Associated With Return to Sport at Minimum 10-Year Follow-up in Athletes With Borderline Hip Dysplasia Undergoing Hip Arthroscopy With Capsular Plication. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine , 14 (9), 23259671261451218.   [ii]   journals.sagepub.com   Stanard, I., Almhanna, H., Al-Mahmodi, A. M. M., Kilroy, D., & Kumar, A. H. (2026). Comparative Analysis of Vascular Density in the Femoral Head Ligament of the Dog, Sheep, and Goat.  [iii]   oajr.org , researchgate.net   Hirt, J., Roshardt, ...

1785SandifortE

  Fragments from the book Sandifort E. Descriptio ossium hominis. (1785). The author briefly writes about the attachment of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF). Quote p. 104 [Lat] Os ischium… … Qua spectat pelvim (a) os ischion æquabile est, modice cavatum, ab exteriore profunde sinuatum (b). Sinus hic, quem acetabulum vocant, maximus, sere rotundus, est, dividique potest in partes duas, alteram semilunarem quodammodo, cartilagine tectam (c), hinc æquabilem, alteram altius excavatam, asperam (d), glandulæ muciparæ sedem præbentem, & educentem ligamentum teres, quod capiti ossis femoris infigitur (e). … Quote p. 108-109 [Lat] Femoris os … … Caput magnum, globosum, cartilagine lævi incrustatum, oblique positum (b), id est, sursum introrsumque tendens, magnitudine & figura cum acetabulo (i) congruens, intra illud admittitur, illique alligatur per ligamentum teres, quod firmiter adhæret ab altera parte acetabulo, ab altera sinui profundo, inæquabili, qui in dicto capite est (k...

Homo ergaster

  HOMO ERGASTER The Homo ergaster species lived in Africa 1.8 million years ago and was alive until 600,000 years ago, likely becoming the ancestor of Homo erectus in Asia, Homo neanderthalensis in Europe, and Homo sapiens in Africa (1995CachelS_HarrisJ; 2005KleinR). Homo ergaster is occasionally equated with Homo erectus in publications (2013TattersallI). The most complete Homo ergaster skeleton belongs to an adolescent named "Turkana Boy" (KNM-WT 15000). The young man was between 8 and 12 years old (2010GravesRR_CunninghamDL; 2019BergmanJ). The age of this individual's remains is believed to be 1.6 million years (2007TattersallI). Turkana Boy (reconstruction) Author: Mettmann Neanderthal Museum; source:  wikimedia.org  collection (license CC BY-SA 4.0, no changes). The pelvis of specimen KNM-WT 15000 is well preserved. It shows ossified acetabulums. In turn, they have spacious acetabular fossae and wide acetabular notches. Based on these elements, it is possible to conc...

Perthes disease. Pathogenesis

  An original view on the pathogenesis of Perthes' disease (femoral head osteochondropathy, Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease). By the onset of Perthes disease, the hip joint is generally formed, and the femoral head and acetabulum represent bone structures. From our perspective, the initiating factor is trauma, specifically, damage to the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF). This can be its rupture (most commonly), detachment from its attachment point, or irreversible plastic elongation. In other words, the amount of mechanical energy acting on the LCF, at a certain moment, exceeds the amount that it can absorb. Another option is possible when individual LCF fibers are damaged. Bioeffective stresses arise and increase in it, inducing biological processes that transform the LCF ( for more details, see the  Law of Bioinduction ) . As a result, it is either permanently damaged or significantly lengthened. Due to damage or uncompensated lengthening of the LCF, the statics and dynamics of...

Homo neanderthalensis

  HOMO NEANDERTHALENSIS Homo neanderthalensis flourished 500-30 thousand years ago in Europe and Asia. It is assumed that its ancestor could have been Homo ergaster or Homo heidelbergensis (2005KleinR). Homo sapiens neanderthalensis «Mr. N» Neanderthal Museum in Mettmann, fragment of the original photograph; source in the  wikimedia.org  collection (license CC BY-SA 4.0, no changes). Neanderthal, late type, the old man from La Chapelle-aux-Saints, reconstruction by M.M. Gerasimov; exposition of the Orlov Paleontological Museum (Moscow); photo by the author. A reconstruction of the pelvis of the Neanderthal "Kebara 2" (Israel), whose remains are dated to 64-59 Kya (2021AdegboyegaMT_WeaverTD), is known. The well-preserved right pelvic bone (Fig. 1) has a large acetabulum with fossa and acetabular notch, indicating the presence of ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF). Neanderthal pelvis, right acetabulum view from the lateral side (3-D model); original image on   sketchfab....

Human Children. Retelling of Chapter 13

  Short retelling of chapter 13 of the essay: Arkhipov S.V. Human Children: The Origins of Biblical Legends from a Physician's Perspective. Joensuu: Author's Edition, 2025. [In Russian]  Chapter 13. PROPHETIC DREAMS After his wanderings and battles, Abraham settles in “Mamre’s oaks in Hebron.” Following these events, he experiences a divine “word in a vision” and a dream promising him lands “from Egypt’s river to the great river, Euphrates.” His family relocates to a desert along the Shur road, near the well “Beer-Lahai-Roi,” between Kadesh and Bered. In another divine appearance, Abraham is commanded to circumcise all males’ foreskins, rename Sarai as Sarah, and is told he’ll father a child at 100, despite Sarah’s barrenness at 89. That day, Abraham circumcises his son Ishmael, household males, and, at 99, himself. In Mamre’s oaks, during “daytime heat,” a mirage foretells fatherhood. The dream shifts, showing Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction and Lot’s miraculous rescue. ...

LCF in 2025 (July)

    LCF in 2025 ( July )   (Quotes from articles and books published in July 2025 mentioning the ligamentum capitis femoris.) Tekcan, D., Bilgin, G., & Güven, Ş. Evaluation of Risk Factors for Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip. HAYDARPAŞA NUMUNE MEDICAL JOURNAL , 65 (2), 99-103.   [i]   jag.journalagent.com   Domb, B. G., & Sabetian, P. W. (2025). Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome: Gluteal Tendinopathy, Partial Tear, Complete Tear, Iliotibial Band Syndrome, and Bursitis. In Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (pp. 1-17). Springer, Cham.   [ii]   link.springer.com   Kuhns, B. D., Becker, N., Patel, D., Shah, P. P., & Domb, B. G. (2025). Significant Heterogeneity in Existing Literature Limits Both Indication and Outcome Comparability Between Studies Involving Periacetabular Osteotomy For Acetabular Dysplasia With or Without Arthroscopy Despite Improvement for Both: A Systematic Review. Arthroscopy .   [iii]   ...

LCF in 2026 (August)

    LCF in 2026 (August )  (Quotes from articles and books published in  August   2026 mentioning the ligamentum capitis femoris)   Maldonado, D. R., Schab, A. R., & Domb, B. G. (2026). Improvement in Patient‐Reported Outcomes, High Rate of Return to Sport, and Secondary Surgery Rate Ranging From 0% to 9.8% After Hip Arthroscopy in Dancers and Athletes in Flexibility Sports: A Systematic Review. Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and Rehabilitation , e70020.    [i]    arthroscopyjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com   Klingele, K., & Strub, D. (2026). Author Response: Considerations and Challenges in Open Reduction With Ligamentum Teres Reconstruction for Pediatric Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip. Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics .    [ii]    ovid.com   Quesada‐Jimenez, R., Rana, K., Strok, M. J., Kahana‐Rojkind, A. H., Burt, A. K., Sugarman, E. P., & Domb, B. G. (2026). Dual Labral and Ligamentum Ter...

Morphology and Histology of LCF

  Version : 20240418 MORPHOLOGY OF LCF 1. Individual fibers of stroma 2. Portions of stroma 3. Bundles of stroma portions 4. Entire stroma 5. Leg (attaching part of the ligament) 6. Synovial membrane 7. Synovial fold 8. Arterial vessels 9. Venous vessels 10. Capillary bed 11. Lymphatic vessels 12. Nerves 13. Receptors 14. Adipose tissue 15. Loose connective tissue 16. Bone tissue (in the area of attachment) 17. Fibrous tissue (in the area of attachment) 18. Cartilage tissue (in the area of attachment)   HISTOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF LCF ATTACHMENT SITES Bone tissue 1. Femur 2. Pelvic bone   Cartilage tissue 1. Femoral head (children, edges of the fovea capitis femoris in adults) 2. Acetabular cavity (children)   Fibrous tissue 1. Transverse acetabular ligament 2. Obturator membrane 3. Periosteum of the pelvic bones 4. Joint capsule   Keywords: ligamentum capitis femoris, ligament of head o...

18c.JoubertJ

  Joubert J, painting – Jacob's struggle with God in the form of an angel (17-18th cent.).  Depicting the circumstances and mechanism of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) injury based on the description in the Book of Genesis: 25 And Ja cob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.  26 And when he saw that he could not pre vail against him, he struck against the hollow of his thigh ; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was put out of joint, as he was wrestling with him. … 33 Therefore do the children of Israel not eat the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day; because he struck against the hollow of Jacob's thigh on the sinew that shrank.  ( 1922LeeserI , Genesis (Bereshit) 32:25-26,33) More about the plot in our work:  Ninth month, eleventh day  ( 2024АрхиповСВ. Девятый месяц, одиннадцатый день ). Jean Joubert –  Jacob's struggle with God in the form of an angel  (17-18th ce...