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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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., ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

1849QuainJ

Fragments from the book by Jones Quain (fifth edition): Elements of anatomy Vol. 1 (1849), the first edition was published in 1828. The author writes about the anatomy of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) and mentions synonyms. Quote p. 278 THE HIP-JOINT. This is a true ball-and-socket joint, in which the globular head of the femur is received into the acetabulum or cotyloid cavity. The articulating surfaces are covered by cartilage in the greater part of their extent. It is deficient, however, at the bottom of the cavity, and also a little beneath the central point of the head of the femur; the latter marking the insertion of the round ligament, the former a shallow fossa for the lodgment of the structure which has been called the synovial gland. The connecting means in this articulation are three ligaments, viz. a capsular, cotyloid, and interarticular ligament, together with a synovial membrane. Fig. 147. Ligaments of the pelvis and hip-joint. The view is t...

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