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

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MORPHOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY

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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...

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...

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...

1832MeckelJF

Fragments of the book Meckel JF. Manual of general, descriptive, and pathological anatomy (1832) dedicated to ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF). The author briefly discusses abnormalities of the LCF and its distal insertion. Quote p. 257 § 308. Among the deviations from the normal state, primitive deviations of the external form are rare, and usually attend anomalies of the other tissues. Among these we arrange, for instance, the absence of the tendons of the abdominal muscles, that of the ligaments of the vertebral column, and that of the dura mater of the brain and spinal marrow, &c., in a congenital fissure of the abdomen, of the vertebral column, and of the skull, and that of the tendons and the muscles of a finger, when the finger itself is wanting. But the fibrous organs are seldom deficient, when the other tissues with which they combine to form a part are present — for instance, the tendon alone of a muscle is rarely absent, or the tunica sclerotica, when the othe...

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 ...

Human Children. Retelling of Chapter 15

Short retelling of chapter 15 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 15. EXODUS FROM HARAN Jacob thrives as a shepherd in Haran, amassing wealth while his father-in-law, Laban, grows poorer. Sensing Laban’s growing resentment, Jacob foresees trouble and flees with his family, livestock, and possessions, aiming for “the land of Canaan.” His caravan crosses a river—likely the Euphrates—and heads toward “Mount Gilead.” Genesis doesn’t specify the journey’s duration, but ten days later, Laban overtakes Jacob at Gilead. Here, it’s revealed Jacob labored 20 years in Haran: 14 for his wives, Leah and Rachel, and six under a later deal for livestock. At Mount Gilead, the families reconcile, sealing peace with a monument—a rock pillar encircled by stones—named “Jegar-Sahadutha,” “Galeed,” and “Mizpah.” Laban returns home, and Jacob presses on to “Mahanaim.” ...

1853KnoxR

We publish selected quotations about ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) from Knox R. Manual of Human Anatomy (1853). The author points out that LCF is a thick and dense bundle of fibers. It is attached to the edges of the acetabular notch and intertwined with the fibers of the fibrocartilaginous ring of the acetabulum. Robert Knox writes: « The functions of the round ligament have not been satisfactorily determined.» Quote p. 142 Fig. 104. - This instructive section of the hip-joint requires little or no explanation. - d points to the superior part of the capsular ligament. Fig. 105. - Capsular ligament of the hip-joint; also Poupart's ligament. - a , the capsular ligament; b , the oblique, or accessory ligament of the joint; d , attachment of the external pillar of Poupart's ligament to the tubercle of the pubis; e , deep structures immediately behind that portion of Poupart's ligament, called the ligament of Gimbernat; c , ligamentum obturatorium. Quo...

The Emergence of Life

THE EMERGENCE OF LIFE According to our definition, life is a way of existence of material objects capable of regulating the level of average daily mechanical stress and reproducing similar entities (2004 Архипов - БалтийскийСВ ). As can be seen, in the given definition there is no reference to protein bodies and organic compounds. Life as a special qualitative state of matter is fundamentally possible not only on the basis of carbon. At the same time, living systems with a different chemistry are unknown, as are extraterrestrial beings. The oldest potentially biogenic carbon on our planet appeared 4.10±0.01 billion years ago, and the simplest living beings appeared 4.1-3.8 billion years ago (2015BellEA_MaoWL). The split of single-celled, anucleate forms of prokaryotes (Procaryota) into bacteria (Eubacteria) and archaea (Archaebacteria) occurred about 4.0 billion years ago (2002HedgesSB). The oldest stromatolites, which are the remains of cyanobacterial communities (Cyanobacteria), bega...

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