1858GrayH

Fragments from the book Gray H. Anatomy, descriptive and surgical (1858, first edition). The selected passages of the "classical" anatomy of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) and original illustrations of Henry Carter.

Quote p. 81

The cotyloid cavity or acetabulum, is a deep cup-shaped hemispherical depression; formed internally by the pubes, above by the ilium, behind and below by the ischium, a little less than two-fifths being formed by the ilium, a little more than two-fifths by the ischium, and the remaining fifth by the pubes. It is bounded by a prominent uneven rim, which is thick and strong above, and serves for the attachment of a fibro-cartilaginous structure, which contracts its orifice and deepens the surface for articulation. It presents on its inner side a deep notch, the cotyloid notch, which transmits the nutrient vessels into the interior of the joint, and is continuous with a deep circular depression at the bottom of the cavity: this depression is perforated by numerous apertures, lodges a mass of fat, and its margins serve for the attachment of the ligamentum teres. The notch is converted, in the natural state, into a foramen by a dense ligamentous band which passes across it. Through this foramen the nutrient vessels and nerves

Quote p. 111

The head, which is globular, and forms rather more than a hemisphere, is directed upwards, inwards, and a little forwards, the greater part of its convexity being above and in front. Its surface is smooth, coated with cartilage in the recent state, and presents a little behind and below its centre a rough depression, for the attachment of the ligamentum teres.

Fig. 87. — Right Femur. Anterior Surface. [fragment]

Quote p. 170

I. Hip Joint, (fig. 121). This articulation is an enarthrodial, or ball and socket joint, formed by the reception of the globular head of the femur into the cup-shaped cavity of the acetabulum. These two articulating surfaces are covered with cartilage, that on the head of the femur being thicker at the centre than at the circumference, and covering the entire surface with the exception of a depression just below its centre for the ligamentum teres; that covering the acetabulum is much thinner at the centre than at the circumference, and is deficient in the situation of the circular depression at the bottom of this cavity. The ligaments of this joint are the Capsular. Cotyloid. Ilio-femoral. Transverse. Teres. Synovial Membrane.

Fig. 121. — Left Hip-joint laid open.

Quote p. 171

The Ligamentum Teres is a flat triangular band of fibres, implanted by its apex into the depression just below the middle of the head of the femur, and by its broad base, which consists of two bundles of fibres, into the margins of the notch at the bottom of the acetabulum, becoming blended with the transverse ligament. It is formed of a bundle of fibres, the thickness and strength of which is very variable, surrounded by a tubular sheath of synovial membrane. Sometimes the synovial fold only exists, or the ligament may be altogether absent.

External links

Gray H. Anatomy, descriptive and surgical; the drawings by H.V. Carter; the dissections jointly by the author and Dr. Carter. London: J.W. Parker, 1858. [archive.org]

Authors & Affiliations

Henry Gray (1825-1861) was a British anatomist and surgeon. [wikipedia.org]

Henry Gray
Author: H. Pollock, unknown date;
original in the wikimedia.org collection (CC BY 4.0, no changes).

Henry Vandyke Carter (1831-1897) was an English anatomist, surgeon, and anatomical artist. [wikipedia.org]

Henry Vandyke Carter (ca. 1870)
Author: Henry Vandyke Carter;
original in the wikimedia.org collection (CC0 – Public Domain, no changes).

Keywords

ligamentum capitis femoris, ligamentum teres, ligament of head of femur, anatomy

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

MORPHOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY

Comments

Catalog. LCF of Extinct Species

Discussion of the LCF and morphological signs of its existence in extinct species. Funston, G. F. (2024). Osteology of the two-fingered oviraptorid Oksoko avarsan (Theropoda: Oviraptorosauria). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, zlae011. [ academic.oup.com ] Hafed, A. B., Koretsky, I. A., Nance, J. R., Koper, L., & Rahmat, S. J. (2024). New Neogene fossil phocid postcranial material from the Atlantic (USA). Historical Biology, 1-20. [ tandfonline.com ] Kuznetsov, A. N., & Sennikov, A. G. (2000). On the function of a perforated acetabulum in archosaurs and birds. PALEONTOLOGICAL JOURNAL C/C OF PALEONTOLOGICHESKII ZHURNAL, 34(4), 439-448. [ researchgate.net ] Romer, A. S. (1922). The locomotor apparatus of certain primitive and mammal-like reptiles. Bulletin of the AMNH; v. 46, article 10. [ digitallibrary.amnh.org , digitallibrary.amnh.org(PDF) ] Słowiak, J., Brusatte, S. L., & Szczygielski, T. (2024). Reassessment of the enigmati...

LCF in 2025 (November)

LCF in 2025 ( November ) (Quotes from articles and books published in October 2025 mentioning the ligamentum capitis femoris) Awad, A., Rizk, A., ElAlfy, M., Hamed, M., Abdelghany, A. M., Mosbah, E., ... & Karrouf, G. (2025). Synergistic Effects of Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles and Platelet Rich Fibrin on Femoral Head Avascular Necrosis Repair in a Rat Model. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials , 113 (11), e35672. [i] onlinelibrary.wiley.com Loughzail, M. R., Aguenaou, O., Fekhaoui, M. R., Mekkaoui, J., Bassir, R. A., Boufettal, M., ... & Lamrani, M. O. (2025). Posterior Fracture–Dislocation of the Femoral Head: A Case Report and Review of the Literature. Sch J Med Case Rep , 10 , 2483-2486. [ii] saspublishers.com , saspublishers.com Vertesich, K., Noebauer-Huhmann, I. M., Schreiner, M., Schneider, E., Willegger,...

2025ChenJH_AcklandD

The article by Chen JH, Al’Khafaji I, Ernstbrunner L, O’Donnell J, Ackland D. Joint contact behavior in the native, ligamentum teres deficient and surgically reconstructed hip: A biomechanics study on the anatomically normal hip (2025). The authors experimentally demonstrated the role of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) in unloading the upper sector of the acetabulum and the femoral head. The text in Russian is available at the following link: 2025ChenJH_AcklandD . Joint contact behavior in the native, ligamentum teres deficient and surgically reconstructed hip: A biomechanics study on the anatomically normal hip By Chen JH, Al’Khafaji I, Ernstbrunner L, O’Donnell J, Ackland D. CONTENT [i] Abstract [ii] Introduction [iii] Materials and methods [iv] Results [v] Discussion and Conclusion [vi] References [vii] Application [i] Abstract Background The ligamentum teres is known to contribute to hip joint st...

BIBLICAL DAMAGE

Biblical damage (Artists and sculptors on the LCF damage described in the Bible: painting, sculpture, icon, fresco, engraving…) 386Brescia_Casket Bas-relief. Drawing depicting the circumstances and mechanism of the LCF injury. 6c.Vienna_Genesis Miniature. Drawing depicting the circumstances and mechanism of the LCF injury. 10c.Cross Bas-relief. Drawing depi cting the circumstances and mechanism of the LCF injury. 1000Jacob&Archangel Fresco. Drawing depicting the circumstances and mechanism of the LCF injury. 1050Aelfric Drawing depicting the circumstances and mechanism of the LCF injury. 1140St.Marie-Madeleine Capital. Drawing depicting the circumstances and mechanism of the LCF injury. 1143 Palantine_Chapel Mosaic . Drawing depicting the circumstances and mechanism of the LCF injury. 1213L’histoire_ancienne. M iniature . Drawing depicting the circumstances and mecha...

1816MeckelJF

The author discusses the anatomy and function of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF), and also identifies one of the reasons for its damage. The translation was done in collaboration with ChatGPT 3.5. Meckel JF. Handbuch der menschlichen Anatomie. Zweiter Band. Besondere Anatomie. Halle, Berlin: Buchhandlung des Hallischen Waisenhauses, 1816. [fragment] Quote p p . 3 65 -366 c. Runds band §. 948. Gerade vor dem Theile der Synovialhaut, welcher auf der Lücke unter dem brückenförmigen Theile der Knorpellippe liegt, entspringt ein, ungefähr einen Zoll langes, sehr länglichviereckiges Band, das runde Band des Oberschenkels (Ligamentum ossis femoris teres s. rotundum) welches, an beiden Enden etwas ausgebreitet, sich mit seis nem äußern an die Bertiefung im Kopfe des Oberschenkels beines heftet und zu noch größerer Befestigung deffelben beiträgt. Es besteht aus longitudinalen Fasern, welche sich an das obere un...

1898AshhurstJ

Report Ashhurst J. Tuberculosis of the hip joint (1898). The author discusses the function of the LCF as a supporting element of the body, its role in the development of deformity of the hip joint, reducing pressure and stress in the femoral head. The most notable quotes: «Of course, the whole weight of the body is not sustained by this ligament, but mostly by the head of the femur in more or less close contact with the cotyloid cavity; but this ligament, I believe, serves to diminish the pressure of the pelvis upon the head of the bone, and to lessen strain. The position of the ligamentum teres is like that of the old-fasioned leather springs which used to be found in stage- coaches, the body of the coach being balanced upon two broad strong bands of leather. The pelvis is to a certain extent similarly balanced upon these ligaments on either side, which are attached to the heads of the thigh- bones, and then pass down to the lower edges of the cotyloid cavities. I b...

1884SuttonJB

Fragments from the article Sutton JB. Ligaments: Their Nature and Morphology (1884). The author discovered that in the ostrich the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) was not continuous with the ambiens muscle, but with a muscular slip which ran parallel with the-muscle, and ended in the adductor mass. This publication develops the theme of article 1883SuttonJB . Quote pp. 228-229 I must now pass on to consider certain ligaments of the appendicular skeleton, commencing with some additional remarks on the ligamentum teres. The Journal of Anatomy and Physiology, vol. xvii January 1883, contains a short article on the ligamentum teres, in which I have endeavoured to point out that many ligaments are the tender of muscles which were originally in relation with the joint; but the parent muscle has either formed new attachments or become obsolete, whilst the tendon remains as a passive element in the articulation. In addition to the ligamentum teres the following structures ...

1883SuttonJB

According to the author, the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) is a tendon of the pectineus muscle, separated from it in consequence of skeletal modifications. THE LIGAMENTUM TERES By J. B. SUTTON, Demonstrator of Anatomy, Middlesex Hospital. (PLATE VIII.) The round ligament of the coxo-femoral articulation has long been an anatomical puzzle, consequently many diverse notions exist concerning it. Some anatomists ascribe to this hollow band of fibrous tissue very important functions in the mechanism of the hip-joint; others deprive it of all glory, simply assigning to it the menial duty of conveying blood-vessels to the head of the femur. Certain authors content themselves with a brief description of its attachments; others give elaborate and detailed accounts, extending over several pages, of its anatomy and supposed function. My object in the present communication is to show that this singular ligament is nothing more than the tendon of the pectineus muscle, sepa...

1997McCandlissR

Invention ( Patent ) : McCandliss R. Coaxial ligamented hip prosthesis. US5702474A (1997) . US2765787A United States Inventor: Robert McCandliss Current Assignee: Individual Worldwide applications 1996 US Application US08/589,644 events: 1996-01-22 Application filed by Individual 1996-01-22 Priority to US08/589,644 1997-12-30 Application granted 1997-12-30 Publication of US5702474A 2016-01-22 Anticipated expiration Status Expired - Fee Related Coaxial ligamented hip prosthesis Robert McCandliss Abstract A hip prosthesis is disclosed herein intended to be fitted into a skeletal pelvis socket and which has a replacement socket that includes a metal semi-spherical acetabulum base with a plastic acetabulum liner for movably holding a spherical ball against the liner by a ligament rod. The rod passes through a head of a stem implanted into a femur and terminates with a ligament anchor plate fitted in the acetabulum base via an eyelet and pin connection. A ...

The First Animals

THE FIRST ANIMALS According to molecular clock data, the separation of the Animal Kingdom from the Plant Kingdom occurred 1609±60 Ma (2004HedgesSB_ShoeJL). Molecular estimates indicate that the last common ancestor of multicellular representatives of the fauna (Metazoa) was Neoproterozoic, most likely younger than 800 million years (2015PisaniD_LiuAG). Biomarkers of metazoan living systems identified in sedimentary deposits indicate their presence in the seas since the Cryogenian period (2018ZumbergeJA_SummonsRE), which began around approximately 720 Ma (2023CohenKM_CarN). Multicellular animals were part of early Ediacaran ecosystems and are found below layers dated to 632.5 ± 0.5 Ma (2007Yin_LHuJ). The oldest fossil of a multicellular organism resembling a sponge (Porifera) is about 600 Ma (2015YinZ_TafforeauP). The last Neoproterozoic glaciation (about 582 Ma) coincides with the appearance of complex organisms in the fossil record (2007BowringSA_AllenPA). Ev...

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