1794(a)SommerringT

Fragments from the book Soemmerring ST. De Corporis Humani Fabrica. T.1. (1794). The author describes the attachment and role ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF). Cases of its absence are mentioned, in particular in osteoarthritis. We have added links to quotations about LCF available on our resource, as well as to publications posted on the Internet. There is a known version of the treatise in German: 1791SoemmerringST.

Quote p. 301

§. CCCCXXVIII.

…Cavum acetabuli hemisphaericum non ubique cartilagine obducitur, sed ad tertiam fere partem nudum conspicitur, ideoque pars, cartilaginoso tegmine obducta, lunatam figuram refert. Mediae huius regionis parti impressio aspera imponitur, quae ligamentum, quod caput ossis femoris devincit, excipit. Reliquam cavi acetabuli partem, cartilagine nudam, tenuem, non nihil planiorem pinguedo explet.

Quote p. 373

§. DXXXXIIII.

…Caput cartilagine obductum, hemisphaerio non nihil maius, ambitum undulatum habet, ita, ut in superiore et posteriore parte in angulum porrigatur, ideoque ambitui acetabuli respondeat. In media fere capitis parte, non nihil tamen inferiora et interiora versus, aspera, cartilaginoso tegmine nudata fovea, ligamentum teres excipiens, ponitur. Media hemisphaerii pars axin colli tangit.

Quote pp. 377-378

§. DLII.

Os femoris inter omnia artuum inferiorum ossa plurimis varietatibus subiectum videtur. Nonnumquam valde longum est, sed tenue; nonnumquam vero longum et plenum simul. Rarissime fovea ligamenti teretis abest. *)

*) GENGA Anatom. chir. Romae 1687. SALZMANN Decas Obs. anat. Arg. 1725. 4. recus. in HALLERI Diss. select. T. VI. p. 694. In femoribus arthritide tactis, non raro ligamentum teres, eiusque vestigium in osse perditur, ut saepius observavi. cfr. BLUMENBACH medicinische Bibliothek, 3 Band.

Translation

[Eng]

Quote p. 301

§. CCCCXXVIII.

... The cavity of the acetabulum has a hemispherical shape and is not covered with cartilage everywhere; about a third of it remains bare, so the part covered with cartilage has a crescent shape. In the central part of this area is a rough depression that receives the ligament that binds the head of the femur. The rest of the acetabulum cavity, not covered by cartilage, is filled with a thin layer of fat, which slightly smoothes the surface.

Quote p. 373

§. DXXXXIII.

... The head of the femur, covered with cartilage, is slightly larger than a hemisphere and has a wavy edge, so that in the upper and posterior parts it forms an angle that corresponds to the contour of the acetabulum. Almost in the center of the head, but somewhat lower and closer to the inside, there is a rough fossa, not covered with cartilage, to which the round ligament is attached. The central part of the hemisphere touches the axis of the femoral neck.

Quote pp. 377-378

§. DLII.

Of all the bones of the lower extremities, the femur is subject to the greatest number of variations. Sometimes it is very long, but thin; sometimes, on the contrary, it is long and thick at the same time. Very rarely the fossa for the round ligament is missing. *)

*) GENGA Anatom. chir. Romae 1687. SALZMANN Decas Obs. anat. Arg. 1725. 4. recus. in HALLERI Diss. select. T.VI. p. 694. In femurs affected by arthritis, the round ligament and its trace on the bone are often lost, as I have repeatedly observed. see also BLUMENBACH medicinische Bibliothek, 3 Band.

External links

Soemmerring ST. De Corporis Humani Fabrica. Tomus Primus, De Ossibus. Traiecti Ad Moenum: Sumtibus Varrentrappii Et Wenneri, 1794. [digitale-sammlungen.de]

Soemmerring ST. Vom Bau des menschlichen Körpers. Bd. 1. Knochenlehre. Frankfurt am Main: bey Varrentrapp und Wenner, 1791. [digitale-sammlungen.de]

Authors & Affiliations

Samuel Thomas Soemmerring (Ritter von Soemmerring, Sömmerring und Soemmering (1755-1830) was a German anatomist, anthropologist, paleontologist and inventor, professor at the University of Mainz and Kasseler Collegium Carolinum. [wikipedia.org]

Samuel Thomas Soemmerring (1813)
Artist: Wendelin Moosbrugger, original in the wikimedia.org collection
(CC0 – Public Domain, no changes)

Keywords

ligamentum capitis femoris, ligamentum teres, ligament of head of femur, anatomy, attachment, osteoarthritis, coxarthrosis, absence

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

Comments

1916WalmsleyT

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1914JonesFW_MorrisH

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1861HoldenL

Fragments from the book Holden L. Human Osteology (1861). The author discusses the attachment and anatomy of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) . In some cases, we have added links to quotations about LCF available on our resource, as well as to publications posted on the Internet. Quote pp. 1 66-167 Acetabulum. Lastly, we come to the "acetabulum." This is so named from its resemblance to an ancient vinegar cup. Observe its great depth and hemispherical form adapted for the secure lodgement of the head of the thigh-bone, and for more or less movement in any direction. It looks downwards and outwards so as to transmit the weight of the trunk directly on to the head of the thigh-bone; and the upper or iliac portion of it is by far the thickest and strongest, since it has to support the whole weight of the trunk in the erect posture. All these points are of interest, because they are characteristic of the human skeleton. There are two notches in the margin or "br...

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LCF in 2025 (January) : Quotes from articles and books published in March 2025 mentioning the ligamentum capitis femoris. Alany, A. M. S., Rasul, D., Berzenji, A. I. H., & Berzenji, A. (2025). Early Outcomes of Arthroscopic Versus Open Reduction for Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip in Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Cureus , 17 (1). [i] assets.cureus.com Lovelace, D. M., Kufner, A. M., Fitch, A. J., Curry Rogers, K., Schmitz, M., Schwartz, D. M., ... & Teran, R. (2025). Rethinking dinosaur origins: oldest known equatorial dinosaur-bearing assemblage (mid-late Carnian Popo Agie FM, Wyoming, USA). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 203 (1), zlae153. [ii] academic.oup.com Rashwan, A. S., El-Desouky, M., Elbarbary, H., Madbouly, M. A. E., & Khedr, A. (2025). Arthroscopic-assisted reduction for Developmental Hip Dysplasia (DDH) through the sub-adductor ...

14c.Chora_Church

Chora Church (Mosque) in Istanbul, fresco – «Jacob Wrestling with the Angel» (14th 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 ). Unknown author – «Jacob Wrestling with the Angel» (14th cent.) fresco Cho...

16с.Archangel_Michael

Icon «Michael the Archangel (in deeds)», stigma «The struggle of Jacob with the angel» (16th 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 ). Unknown author – Icon «Michael the Archangel (in deeds)»...

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Who, When, and Where Wrote the Book of Genesis? A Medical Hypothesis By Sergey V. Arkhipov, MD, PhD & Lyudmila N. Arkhipova, BSN CONTENT [i] Abstract [ii] Introduction [iii] Egyptian physician [iv] Asian diviner [v] Conclusion [vi] References [vii] Application [i] Abstract The Book of Genesis is an example of an ancient literary text that contains important medical insights. We propose that it was written in northern Egypt in the late 17th century BCE, approximately ten years after the Minoan eruption. The protograph likely emerged from the collaboration between an Asiatic seer, who rose to the rank of an Egyptian official, and an Egyptian physician-encyclopedist. By refining its dating and authorship, this hypothesis positions Genesis as a credible source of medical and historical data, thereby enhancing its value for interdisciplinary research. [ii] Introduction According to Rabbinic Judais...

150-200Pseudo-Galen

Fragment from the treatise Pseudo-Galen Introduction, or the Physician ( Εἰσαγωγὴ ἢ Ἰτρός ; Introductio, seu Medicus; ca. 150-200 [our opinion]). The author notes the connecting function of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) and also specifies the proximal and distal attachment sites. See our commentary at the link: 150-200Pseudo-Galen [Rus]. Quote [Grc] Εἰσαγωγὴ ἢ Ἰτρός . K εφ . ιβ . [ Περί όστεολογἰας .] μηρου δέ έν μεν οστούν . συμβάλλει δε επικεκαμμένη μετρίως τη κεφαλή αυτού εις βαθείαν κοτύλην του ισχίου και νεύρῳ απήρτηται εκφυομένω εκ μέσης της κοτύλης και εμφυομένω εις μέσην την κεφαλήν του μηρού . (original source: 1827KühnCG, pp. 723-724) [Lat Introductio, seu Medicus. Cap. XII. [De osteologia] Femoris os unum est, cujus caput leniter reflexum in coxae profundum sinum conjicitur. Quam commissuram nervus, qui e medio sinu prodit et in medium femoris caput inseritur, continet. (original source: 1827KühnCG, pp. 723-724) Translation [Eng] Introduction, or the Phy...

1740KulmusJA

Fragments from the book Kulmus JA. Tables anatomiques (1734). The author briefly writes about the anatomy, properties and attachment of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF). There are known translations of the treatise into Latin ( 1732KulmusJA ) and French ( 1734KulmusJA ). Quote p. 51 [Deu] Translation [Eng] с . In the upper part of the head there is a recess in which the round ligament is attached. Quote p. 54 [Deu] Translation [Eng] 2.) The round ligament is short but very strong; it arises at the bottom of the acetabulum and joins the fossa at the top of the femoral condyle. External links Kulmus JA. Anatomische Tabellen: Nebst dazu gehörigen Anmerckungen und Kupffern, Daraus des gantzen Menschlichen Cörpers Beschaffenheit und Nutzen deutlich zu ersehen; Welche Den Anfängern der Anatomie zu bequemer Anleitung verfasset hat… Nuremberg, Frankfort, Leipzig: J.A. von Creutz, MDCCXXXX [1740]. [ archive.org ] Authors & Affiliations Johann Adam Kulmus (...

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