1614PlatterF

Fragment from the book Platter F. Observationum (1614). The author notes the role of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) in fixing the femur in the acetabulum and the possibility of its lengthening (synovitis).

Quote pp. 141-142

[Lat]

Cruris dextri astrictio & contractio, post coxendicum dolorem.

Cùm enim ligamentum illud articulum circumd ás, omnium totius corporis ligamentorum, quae articulos ambiunt, sit amplissimum; fieri potest, ut adeò cedat, ut (sicuti saepe sit) femoris caput, è suo sinu devoluatur, & in membranae illius (quae cùm erassissima sit, prae omnibus totius corporis ligamentis, nunquam vi qualicunque disrumpi potest) amplitudine seu capacitate subsistat, elongato simul & vehementer attracto, tereti illo & crasso, quod caput aliàs in suo sinu retinere solet, ligamento. Quod & ob tensionem illam nimiam, astrictum & induratum, chordae alicuius crasssissimae & firmisimae instar, quae nunquam disrumpi, nunquam ab acetabulo, cuius cartilagini innata est, vel extremis imperibus abrumpi potest, femur suspensum retinet, motumque illius ad inferiora, cum nunc non ampliùs, ut femur in sinu erat laxum, sed ob illius descensum, vehementer, uti dictum, tensum sit, impedit.

Translation

[Eng]

Shortening and bending of the right leg with pain in the hip joint.

Since the ligament surrounding this joint is the largest of all the ligaments of the body that surround the joints, it is possible that it can stretch so much that (as often happens) the head of the femur comes out of its socket and remains in the cavity of this shell (which, being the thickest of all the ligaments of the body, can never be torn under any circumstances). At the same time, the elongated and strongly stretched ligament that normally holds the head in place in its socket, is also stretched and strained, becoming like the thickest and strongest string, which can never be torn and can never be torn from the acetabulum, and from the cartilage into which it grows, even with the strongest efforts, holding the hip suspended. This prevents it from shifting downwards, since now the thigh is not free in its socket, but is strongly stretched and lengthened, as was said.

External links

Platter F. Observationum, in hominis affectibus plerisque, corpori et animo, functionum laesione, dolore, aliave molestia et vitio incommodantibus, libri tres. Basel: imp. L. Koenig, MDCXIIII [1614]. [books.google]

Platter F. Observationum Felicis Plateri qucndam archiatri et profess. Basil. Libri tres. Basilea, MDCLXXX [1680]. [books.google]

Authors & Affiliations

Felix Platter (Plater, Platerus; 1536-1614) was a Swiss physician, professor of medicine at the University of Basel. [wikipedia.org]

Felix Platter (1584)
Artist Hans Bock, original in the wikimedia.org collection
(CC0 – Public Domain, no changes)

Keywords

ligamentum capitis femoris, ligamentum teres, ligament of head of femur, anatomy, role, elongation, properties

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

DISEASES AND INJURIES

Comments

LCF in 2026 (May)

LCF in 2026 (May ) (Quotes from articles and books published in May 2026 mentioning the ligamentum capitis femoris) Kim, P. S., Kang, C., Lee, J. K., & Hwang, J. M. (2026). Hip arthroscopy to treat symptomatic paralabral cysts: a retrospective analysis of clinical outcomes. Arthroscopy and Orthopedic Sports Medicine , 13 (1), 27-34. [i] e-aosm.org Ko, H. Y. (2026). Vascular Anatomy of the Extremities and Lungs. In Practical Functional Anatomy for Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation: A Guide for Physiatrists and Rehabilitation Specialists (pp. 191-223). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. [ii] link.springer.com Aiba, H., Yamaguchi, M., Kimura, H., & Murakami, H. (2026). Advances in limb-salvage surgery and reconstruction for pediatric bone and soft tissue tumors. Frontiers in Pediatrics , 14 , 1817788. [iii] pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Bajwa, A., Villar, R., ...

Human Children. Retelling of Chapter 1

Short retelling of chapter 1 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 1. THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD The Bible stands as a remarkable testament to religious and philosophical thought, passed down through the ages with minimal alterations. At its core lies a collection of texts rooted in the sacred writings of Jewish and Samaritan traditions, known as the Torah, meaning "Law" or "Teaching." In its narrowest sense, the Torah comprises the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, collectively called the Tanakh—an acronym derived from the Hebrew terms for "Law/Teaching" (Torah), "Prophets" (Nevi’im), and "Writings" (Ketuvim). Beyond this Written Torah, there exists an Oral Torah, which includes the Mishnah, Talmud, and Midrash, offering interpretations and expansions of the written texts. The Written Torah it...

1730CheseldenW

Fragments from the book Cheselden W. The Anatomy of the Human Body (1730). The author draws attention to the role of ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) in counteracting hip dislocation and maintaining the femoral head in the joint. The work notes that the LCF is “powerful” and “short” - “about two inches” i.e. approximately 5 cm! This error will be corrected in a subsequent treatise ( 1733CheseldenW ) . Quote pp. 43 - 44 Chap. VII. Of the Ligaments At the upper part of the articulation of the Os Femoris and Os Innominatum, is a strong ligament of great consequence; it contributing very much to preserve that joint from being luxated by the weight of the body. And from the lower edge of the Acetabulum of the Os Innominatum, runs a ligament to the middle of the head of the Os Femoris, about two inches long (which the Motion in this joint requires) called Teres, or Rotundum, whose use is to prevent the Os Femoris from being luxated upwards, but down wards it will le...

1851HyrtlJ

The author expresses a classic view on the functions of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF): a conductor of blood vessels and a limiter of adduction of the femur. J. Hyrtl believed that it was impossible to completely dislocate the hip without tearing the LCF. Hyrtl J. Lehrbuch der Anatomie des Menschen, mit Rücksicht auf physiologische Begründung und praktische Anwendung. Wien: W. Braumüller, 1851. [fragment] Quote p. 265 In der Höhle des Gelenks liegt das runde Band des Schenkelkopfes (Lig. teres), welches an der Incisura acetabuli entspringt, und bei richtiger Neigung des Beckens, senkrecht zur Grube des Schenkelkopfes aufsteigt. Es beschränkt dieses Band die Zuziehung des Schenkels, und schreibt zugleich den durch die Incisura acetabuli eindringenden Blutgefässen den Weg vor, den sie zum Oberschenkelkopfe zu nehmen haben. Da das Band, wenn es in die Höhle des Gelenkes vorragen würde, durch Reibung viel zu leiden hätte, so...

1879BischoffTLW

A fragment from the work by Bischoff TLW. Beiträge zur Anatomie des Gorilla (1879). The paper discusses the size of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) of gorilla. Quote p. 1 8. [Deu] 5. Muskeln der unteren Extremität. Ich erwähne zunächst, dass mein Gorilla an dem mehr als eine Halbkugel bildenden Schenkelkopf ein ansehnlich langes Ligam. teres besitzt. Translation [Eng] 5. Muscles of the lower limbs. First of all, I would like to point out that my gorilla has a rather long round ligament on the head of the femur, which forms more than one hemisphere. External links Bischoff TLW. Beiträge zur Anatomie des Gorilla. Abh. d. II. Cl. d. k. Ak. d. Wiss. XIII. Bd. III. Abth. Munchen: Verlag der Akademie, in Commission bei G. Franz. 1879. zobodat.at Authors & Affiliations Theodor Ludwig Wilhelm von Bischoff (1807-1882) was a German physician and biologist. wikipedia.org Theodor Ludwig Wilhelm von Bischoff (circa 870). Unknown author; original in the...

2019(a)ArkhipovSV_SkvortsovDV

Ligamentum capitis femoris: first written mentions S.V. Arkhipov, D.V. Skvortsov SUMMARY Background. A ligamentum capitis femoris (syn. ligamentum teres) is one of the least studied anatomical structures. We know little about its role in the musculoskeletal system, and even less about its first written mentions. Purpose. This article is intended to clarify who and when first described the connection of the head of the femur in the medical literature, and to provide a hypothesis about its first mention in the history of mankind. Material and methods. We reviewed the oldest written sources available to us, covering the anatomy of the hip joint and ligamentum capitis femoris. Conclusion. The first description of the ligamentum capitis femoris in the medical text is given by Hippocrates of Kos in the treatise Instruments of Reductions (V-IV century BC). According to our hypothesis, the first in the history of mankind to mention a ligamentum capitis femoris, is cont...

16th Century

16th Century Catalog of archived publications of the specified period 1500-1509 1510-1519 1510Leonardo_da_Vinci In the drawing, a uthor depicted the distal fragment of the LCF. 1520-1529 1521Berengario da CarpiJ The author comments on the treatise by Mondino de Luzzi, describes the form, role and symptoms of LCF damage. 1527BenedettiA The author explains the origin of the rare synonym of LCF – ischion. 1530-1539 1540-1549 1541MondinoL_DryanderJ An early description of the anatomy and role of the LCF is presented. 1541PolluxJ In Greek the author calls LCF «ἰσχίον», and the translator designates the concept of «ligament/sinew» with the term «neruus». 1543(a)VesaliusA The author describes the anatomy, attachment, properties and role of LCF, also interprets its synonyms. 1543(b)VesaliusA The author describes the attachment and shape of the LCF. 1544GuidiG The author p...

Signet ring

Signet ring , 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.familysealrings.com/Faith-Rings.html Signet ring , bas-relief – Ja...

163-192Galen

Fragment from the treatise Galen. On anatomical procedures (Περὶ Ἀνατομικῶν Ἐγχειρήσεων, ca. 163-192). The author writes about the high resiliency and hardness of ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF), and also notes its connective function. See our commentary at the link: 163-192Galen [Rus], and 2020ArkhipovSV_ProlyginaIV . Quote [Grc] Περὶ Ἀνατομικῶν Ἐγχειρήσεων. Βιβλιον B. K εφ . ι ʹ . Αλλά χρή σε, καθάπερ επί της χειρός επεσκέψω τους συνδέσμους των οστών, ούτω και νυν επισκέψασθαι πασών των γεγυμνωμένων διαρθρώσεων, πρώτης μεν της κατ' ισχίον, εχούσης ένα μεν εν κύκλω σύνδεσμον, απάντων των άρθρων κοινόν, (ουδέν γάρ έστιν, ότω μή περιβέβληται τοιούτος σύνδεσμος,) έτερον δε τον διά του βάθους εν τη διαρθρώσει κατακεκρυμμένον, ος συνάπτει την κεφαλήν του μηρού τη κατ' ισχίον κοιλότητι, πάνυ σκληρός ών, ώς ήδη δύνασθαι λέγεσθαι νεύρον χονδρώδες. (original source: 1821KühnCG, pp. 328-329) [Lat] De Anatomicis Administrationibus. Liber II. Cap. X. Verum considerare te convenit, ut i...

1877MorrisH

An excerpt from the article by Morris H. Dislocations of the Thigh: their mode of occurrence as indicated by experiments, and the Anatomy of the Hip-joint (1877, pp. 161-170). The author noted that the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) is stretched during flexion, adduction, and external rotation. It was found that the LCF is always damaged in hip dislocations, is more often torn from the femur, and is rarely ruptured. Discussion of article see article 1877BrookeC . DISLOCATIONS OF THE THIGH: THEIR MODE OF OCCURRENCE AS INDICATED BY EXPERIMENTS AND THE ANATOMY OF THE HIP-JOINT. BY HENRY MORRIS, M.A., M.B., F.R.C.S., ASSISTANT SURGEON TO, AND LECTURER ON ANATOY1 AT, THE MIDDLESEX HOSPITAL. Received January 9th-Read February 13th, 1877. RECENTLY, whilst making various dissections of the hip-joint, the usually accepted doctrine that dorsal and ischiatic dislocations of the femur occur when the thigh is in a position of adduction appeared to me as very improbable, on anatomi...

Search This Blog