Skip to main content

1698CowperW

 

Fragments from the book Cowper W. The anatomy of humane bodies (1698). The author writes about the anatomy and attachment of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF). The monograph points to the function of the LCF: to reduce compression of the femoral head and upper part of the acetabulum during walking and running.


Quote 1.

THE SEVENTY-FOURTH TABLE.

…

I, The Head of the Os Femoris lying out of the Acetabulum, after the Ligamentum Latum is cut off

k, The Round Ligament of the Os Femoris which is Fasten’d to the Inferior Part or Margin of the Acetabulum; whereby the Great Atrition of the Superior Part of the Acetabulum, with the Head of the Os Femoris, is prevented in Walking, Running, and the like Actions.

l, The Mucilaginous Gland Entertain’d in a particular Depressure in the Bottom and Lower Part of the Acetabulum; whereby the too Great and often Compressure of the Mucilage in Ordinary Motions of the Thigh, is Prevented.

m, Some Remains of the Mucilaginous Glands on the Neck of the Os Femoris, near the Conjunction of the Ligamentum Latum; which is here taken off, to shew the Head of the Thigh-Bone and Acetabulum of the Os Coxendicis.




Quote 2.

THE NINETY-NINTH TABLE.

Fig. 2.

The External Convext Surface of the Os Innominatum:

ABB, Its Cavity, wherein the Head of the Os Femoris is receiv’d, call’d Acetabulum and Pixis.

A, A Sinus Excavated in the Inferior Part of the Acetabulum, in which the Mucilaginous Gland is plac’d: Vid. Tab. 74.1.

The Ligamentum Rotundum Figur’d Tab. 74. k, Arises from the Lower-part of the Acetabulum towards its External Margin ; whence it passes Upwards to its Termination in the Head of the Os Femoris ; which Disposition of that Ligament, is no small Artifice in Nature, in preventing too great a Coalision of the Superior Part of the Acetabulum with the Head of the Thigh-bone, in Walking, Running, &c. as before Noted.

B B, The External Margin of the Acetabulum, whence the Ligamentum Latum do’s Arise; which Ligament is Implanted in the Neck of the Os Femoris.

C D E, The Dorsurn Ilii.

D Superior, The Spina Ilii.

EE, Divers Precedes towards the Back part of the Ilium, where its other Side, Exprest in the Former Figure D, is join’d with the Sacrum.

F, A Sinus of the Os Ilium, in which the Musculus Piriformis passes towards its Implantation.

G, An Acute Process of the Ischium.

H, An Appendix of the Ischium, to which a Ligament Arising from the Os Sacrum is Fasten’d: From this Appendix the Musculus Quadratus Femoris, and the Muscules Bending the Tibia, do Arise.

I, That Part where the Os Ischium joins with the Os Pubis.

K, The Os Pubis or Pectinis.

L, The Great Foramen of the Ischium and Pubis.

N. B. The Three Bones which Compose the Os Innominatum, all meet and join in the Acetabulum.




Quote 3.

THE HUNDRED & THIRD TABLE.

The Bones of the Inferior Artus or Limbs are Divided into the Thigh, Shank, and Foot.

Fig. I.

The Fore-part of the Left Thigh-bone.

A, The Upper Appendix of the Thigh-bone, call’d its Head, cover’d with a Cartilage, which is receiv’d in the Acetabulum of the Os Innominatum, Tab. 99. Fig. 2. ABB. The Round Ligament Arising from the Inferior Part of the Acetabulum, is Inserted near the Middle of this Head of the Thigh-bone, Fig. 2. B. This Articulation of the Thigh-bone with the Hip-bone, is call’d Enarthrosis.

B, The Trochanter Major, which in Young Bodies Appears join’d with a Cartilage to the Thigh-bone, and is therefore call’d an Epiphysis or Appendix.

C, The Cervix or Neck of the Os Femoris, to which the Ligamentum Latum is Fasten'd.

DE, The Inferior Appendix of the Os Femoris, Framing Two Heads: The Smooth Cartilaginous Surface which Appears between them, receives the Internal Surface of the Patella, Fig. 4.

F, A Sinus whence the Musculus Poplitaeus has its Tendinous Origin.

Fig. 2.

The Posterior Part of the Right Thigh-bone.

A, Its Head.

B, A little Depressure, where the Ligamentum Rotundum is Implanted.

C, The Lesser Trochanter, to which the Muscuius Psoas and Iliacus Internus, are Inserted.

DE, The Two Inferior Heads of the Thigh-bone, which are receiv’d in Two Shallow Depressures, Fram’d by Two Semilunary Cartilages, plac’d on the Superior Part of the Tibia: The Sinus between these Two Heads, receives a small Prominence on the Upper-part of the Tibia, especially in its Flexion: This Articulation of the Thigh with the Tibia, is by Gynglimus.

F, The Great Trochanter, where the Musculus Pyriformis, Marsupialis, Obturator Externus, and Parts of the Glutaei Medii, Minimi, and Quadratics Femoris, are Inserted.

G G, The Linea Aspera, to which Part of the Muscuius Quadratus Femoris, Glutaeus Maximus, and the Greatest Part of the Triceps are Inserted: The Vastus Externus and Internus, do chiefly Arise from the Linea Aspera.

In some Bodies, especially Aged, we find Two Ossa Sesamoidea on the Superior Parts of the Two Lower Heads of the Thigh-bone D E: The Office of which, is to Defend the Bending Tendons of the Tibia from too great a Collision on those Heads of the Bone, which they would else be Subject to: The like Ossification I have more than once Observ’d in the Tendon of the Peroneus Longus, at its Contortion over the Os Calcis towards the Bottom of the Foot.




External links

Cowper W. The anatomy of humane bodies: with figures drawn after the life by some of the best masters in Europe, and curiously engraven in one hundred and fourteen copper plates, illustrated with large explications, containing many new anatomical discoveries, and chirurgical observations: to which is added an introduction explaining the animal oeconomy, with a copious index. Oxford: Printed at the Theater, for Sam. Smith and Benj. Walford, printers to the Royal Society, at the Princes Arms in St. Paul's Church Yard, London, MDCXCVIII [1698]. [archive.org]

Authors & Affiliations

William Cowper (1666-1709) was an English surgeon and anatomist. [wikipedia.org]

William Cowper (1698)

Keywords

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

                                                                                                                   

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

Popular posts from this blog

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...

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, ...

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...

Great Compilation. Chapter 26

      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 26   By Sergey V. Arkhipov, MD, PhD   CONTENT [i]   Abstract [ii]   Book of Genesis. Chapter 26 Analysis [iii]   Notes to Chapter 26 [iv]   AI Agent's Conclusion [v]   Content [vi]   External links [vii]   Application [i]   Abstract The Book of Genesis (Beresh...

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...

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...

1934BökerH

  Content [i]   Annotation [ii]   Original in  German [iii]   Illustrations [iv]   Source  &  links [v]   Notes [vi]   Authors & Affiliations [vii]   Keywords [i]   Annotation Fragments from the article: Böker H. Die Bedeutung des Ligamentum teres femoris (1934). The author discusses the attachment, role and movement of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF). At this point, we have only fragments of this remarkable work. The text in Russian is available at the following link: 1934BökerH . [ii]   Original in    German «In einer Untersuchung über die Bedeutung des Ligamentum teres femoris zeigt Böker, daß der Bewegungsraum dieses „Bandes“ mit dem Ausdehnungsbereich der Fossa acetabuli übereinstimmt.» (1939 NauckET ) .   Einzig Böker [1] beschrie 1934 In einem Artikel Ober die Bedeutung des Ligamentum teres femoris die normale Stellung der Fovea in Relation zur Fossa acetabul. Er stellt fest, dass die...

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...

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, ...

Test catalog of the LCF pathology

  Test catalog of the ligamentum capitis femoris pathology By Sergey V. Arkhipov, MD, PhD     CONTENT [i]   Abstract [ii]   Introduction [iii]   Testing in the supine position [iv]   Testing in a standing position [v]   Gait study [vi]   References [vii]   Application [i]   Abstract A description of tests for the detection and differential diagnosis of ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) pathology is presented. [ii]   Introduction One of the first studies devoted to the diagnosis of LCF injury demonstrated a variety of symptoms: groin pain, hip stiffness, sometimes long-standing minimal clinical findings, or signs similar to osteoarthritis (1997GrayA_VillarRN). More than a decade later, researchers concluded: "Unfortunately, there is no specific test for detecting LCF tears." The signs known at that time were nonspecific and were also observed in other intra-articular pathologies of the hip joint (2010CerezalL_Pérez-CarroL). The a...