Skip to main content

1867GrayH

 

Fragments from the book Gray H. Anatomy, descriptive and surgical (1867). The selected passages of the "classical" anatomy of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) and original illustrations of Henry Carter. 


Quote pp. 153-154

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 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 enter the joint.


Quote p. 158

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, an ovoid depression, for the attachment of the ligamentum teres. 

Fig. 103. — Right Femur. Anterior Surface. [fragment]


Quote p. 221

1. Hip-joint (fig. 138). This articulation is an enarthrodial or ball-and-socket joint, formed' by the reception of the head of the femur into the cup-shaped cavity of the acetabulum. The 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, being deficient in the situation of the circular depression at the bottom of this cavity. The ligaments of the joint are the Capsular. Teres. Ilio-femoral. Cotyloid. Transverse.

Fig. 138. — Left Hip-joint laid open.


Quote p. 222

The Ligamentum Teres is a triangular band of fibres, implanted, by its apex, into the depression a little behind and below the centre 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 are very variable, surrounded by a tubular sheath of synovial membrane. Sometimes, the synovial fold only exists, or the ligament may be altogether absent. The use of the round ligament is to check rotation outwards, when combined with flexion: it thus assists in preventing dislocation of the head of the femur forwards and outwards, an accident likely to occur from the necessary mechanism of the joint, if not provided against by this ligament and the thick anterior part of the capsule. (1)

1) See an interesting paper, "On the Use of the Round Ligament of the Hip-joint," by Dr. J. Struthers. Edinburgh Medical Journal, 1858.

…

The Synovial Membrane is very extensive. Commencing at the margin of the cartilaginous surface of the head of the femur, it covers all that portion of the neck which is contained within the joint; from this point it is reflected on the internal surface of the capsular ligament, covers both surfaces of the cotyloid ligament, and the mass of fat contained in the fossa at the bottom of this cavity, and is prolonged in the form of a tubular sheath around the ligamentum teres, as far as the head of the femur.

 

External links

Gray H. Anatomy, descriptive and surgical; the drawings by H.V. Carter; the dissections jointly by the author and Dr. Carter. Philadelphia: Henry C. Lea, 1867. [hdl.handle.net]

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

MORPHOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY 

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, ...

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...

Tiktaalik roseae

  TIKTAALIK ROSEAE The first truly tetrapod animal (Limbed tetrapods) is recognized as the lobe-finned fish Tiktaalik roseae (clade Elpistostegalia), discovered in rocks aged about 375 Ma (2006DaeschlerEB_JenkinsJrFA; 2008ShubinN; 2017ShubinN). Discoveries in recent years have allowed us to place the taxa of early tetrapodomorphs in the following order: Tinirau, Eusthenopteron, Megalichthys, Panderichthys, Qikiqtania, Tiktaalik, Elpistostege, Parmastega, Ventastega, Acanthostega, Elginerpeton, Ymeria, Ichthyostega (2022StewartTA_ShubinNH). The closest ancestor of Tiktaalik roseae, the fragments of the skeleton of which are relatively well preserved, is Panderichthys. Reconstruction of the prehistoric fish Pandericthys Author Tyler Rhodes; original in the  wikipedia.org   collection (license CC BY-SA 3.0, no changes). The shape of the skeleton of the pectoral fin and shoulder girdle suggests that Panderichthys rhombolepis "walked" (2006AhlbergPE_ClackJA). At the very least...

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...

Plaque

  Memorial plaque, bas-relief – Jacob wrestling with an angel.  Variant of 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   ( 2024 АрхиповСВ. Девятый месяц, одиннадцатый день ).     https://www.ancientsculpturegallery.com/jacob-wrestling-with-the-angel-plaque.html...

Catalog. Arthroscopic reconstruction

  Introduction  Currently, ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) reconstruction using arthroscopic technologies is considered promising. According to the literature available to us, the first such operation was performed by Marc J. Philippon, which he first reported on in May 2006 (2006PhilipponMJ). Until now, reconstruction of LCF using minimally invasive technologies has not yet become widespread. The long-term results of arthroscopic LCF repair are still uncertain due to insufficient number of surgical procedures performed and short follow-up period (2014O'DonnellJM_SinghPJ). Catalog Arthroscopic LCF reconstruction and discussion of technique Abibe RB, Rahal SC, dos Reis Mesquita L, Doiche D, da Silva, JP, Mamprim, MJ, Pinho RH, Battazza A, Alves CEF, Saunders WB. Ligamentum teres reconstruction using autogenous semitendinosus tendon with toggle technique in rabbits. PeerJ. 2023;11:e14777.  doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14777  [ peerj.com ,  peerj.com(PDF) ] Al'Khafaji, ...

Homo floresiensis

  HOMO FLORESIENSIS Homo floresiensis lived on the island of Flores (Indonesia) 190-50 Kya (2016SutiknaT_RobertsRG). The ancestor of this species is «suspected» to be the Asian subtype Homo erectus, which arrived from the mainland about 800 Kya (2009LyrasGA_DeVosJ). The anatomy of Homo floresiensis is less similar to Homo habilis (2008Gordon_WoodB). Homo floresiensis Author: Cicero Moraes et al.  (Arc-Team)  ; source: wikimedia.org   collection (license CC BY 4.0, no changes). Among the discovered remains of a female Homo floresiensis  ( humanorigins . si . edu )  there is a relatively well-preserved left pelvic bone (LB1/7). It has a « typically human » acetabulum (2009JungersWL_DjubiantonoT:Fig.3). The acetabulum has a complete fusion of the three bones that form it and is not hypoplastic (2012BrownP:Fig.4). The acetabular fossa is rounded and deep, continuing downwards and forwards as a wide acetabular notch. This area is the site of attachment and func...

18c.FontebassoF

  Fontebasso F, painting, Jacob wrestling with the angel (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 ). Francesco Fontebasso  – Jacob Wrestling with the Angel (18th cent.); original in the  matthiesenga...

11th-15th Century

   11th-15th Century Catalog of archived publications of the specified period        11th century 976-1115Theophilus Protospatharius  The author writes about the  normal anatomy of the LCF and its connective function. 1012-1024Avicenna   The author writes about the localization and  variant of the pathology LCF, leading to hip dislocation. 1039-1065Giorgi Mtatsmindeli   The translator mentions the LCF damage, and notes its presence in animals. 12 th century 1120-1140Judah Halevi   The author mentions LCF (גיד) of mammals. 1176-1178(a)Rambam  The author mentions the pathology of LCF (גיד) in humans and points out the presence of this structure in animals. 1176-1178(b)Rambam  The author writes about the localization of LCF (גיד) ) and distinguishes it from a tendon,   blood vessel or nerve. 1185-1235David Kimchi  The author writes about the localization, purpose, and injury of the LCF (גיד), and also talks abo...

Great Compilation. Chapter 10

    English version of the article:  Архипов СВ. Книга Берешит как великая компиляция текстов и смыслов Второго переходного периода Египта: пилотная культурологическая, медицинская, археологическая и текстологическая экспертиза преданий против традиционной атрибуции. Введение.  О круглой связке бедра . 14.02.2026 .  The text in Russian is available at the following link:  2026АрхиповСВ .    The Book of Genesis as a Great Compilation of Texts and Meanings from the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt: A Pilot Culturological, Medical, Archaeological, and Textological Examination of the Legends versus Traditional Attribution.  Chapter 10   By Sergey V. Arkhipov, MD, PhD   CONTENT [i]   Abstract [ii]   Book of Genesis. Chapter 10 Analysis [iii]   Notes to Chapter 10 [iv]   AI Agent's Conclusion [v]   Content [vi]   External links [vii]   Application [i]   Abstract The Book of Genesis (Bereshith) wa...