1586PiccolominiA

Fragments from the book Piccolomini A. Anatomicae praelectiones (1586). One of the first discussions of the biomechanics of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) with a description of its shape, mechanical properties and attachment.

Quote p. 378-379.

[Lat]

De femoribus.

Hoc rotundum & magnum femoris caput, intruditur in magnum coxendicis acetabulum; a cuius medio emergit vinculum teres ac validissimum, femur cum coxendice copulans, & hanc articulationem firmissimam stabiliensis.

…

Cur ex animalibus progressiuis, alia recta, alia prona incedunt progredumtutue? Hanc varietatem efficit vatra ligamenti rotundi ac validi e capite femoris in acetabulum inserto. Nam si inserutur versus superiotem acetabuli partem, recta progrediuntur animantia, vt homo, si versus lateralem, prona incedunt, vt bos, equus. Qud sit, vt ille faciem celsam sit sortitus caelum suspicientem, menti commodiu sinseruientem; haec vero deptessam, terram despicientem, a qua dumtaxat corporis alimenta capessaant.

Translation

[Eng]

On the thigh bones.

This round and large head of the femur is inserted into the large acetabulum of the pelvis; from its middle comes a round and very strong ligament that connects the femur to the pelvis, which makes this joint very stable.

…

Why among walking animals do some move upright and others obliquely? This difference arises from the tension of a round and strong ligament inserted from the head of the thigh bone into the acetabulum. For if it is attached to the upper part of the acetabulum, animals walk upright, like a man; if to the side, they move obliquely, like a cow or a horse. As a result of this, those [animals] whose face is raised up and directed towards the sky are better adapted to mental actions than those whose face is lowered, turned towards the earth, from which alone they receive food for the body.

External links

Piccolomini A. Anatomicae praelectiones Archangeli Piccolhomini Ferrariensis ... explicantes mirificam corporis humani fabricam et quae animae vires, quibus corporis partibus, tanquàm instrumentis, ad suas obeundas actiones, vtantur; sicuti tota anima, toto corpore… Romae: Ex typographia Bartholomaei Bonfadini, in via Peregrini, MDLXXXVI [1586]. [archive.org , books.google]

Authors & Affiliations

Archangelo Piccolomini (1525-1586) was an Italian physician and anatomist at the University of Bordeaux. [wikipedia.org]

Keywords

ligamentum capitis femoris, ligamentum teres, ligament of head of femur, anatomy, attachment, biomechanics, shape, mechanical properties, 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

BIOMECHANICS AND MORPHOMECHANICS

ROLE AND SIGNIFICANCE

Comments

Catalog. LCF of Extinct Species

Discussion of the LCF and morphological signs of its existence in extinct species. Funston, G. F. (2024). Osteology of the two-fingered oviraptorid Oksoko avarsan (Theropoda: Oviraptorosauria). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, zlae011. [ academic.oup.com ] Hafed, A. B., Koretsky, I. A., Nance, J. R., Koper, L., & Rahmat, S. J. (2024). New Neogene fossil phocid postcranial material from the Atlantic (USA). Historical Biology, 1-20. [ tandfonline.com ] Kuznetsov, A. N., & Sennikov, A. G. (2000). On the function of a perforated acetabulum in archosaurs and birds. PALEONTOLOGICAL JOURNAL C/C OF PALEONTOLOGICHESKII ZHURNAL, 34(4), 439-448. [ researchgate.net ] Romer, A. S. (1922). The locomotor apparatus of certain primitive and mammal-like reptiles. Bulletin of the AMNH; v. 46, article 10. [ digitallibrary.amnh.org , digitallibrary.amnh.org(PDF) ] Słowiak, J., Brusatte, S. L., & Szczygielski, T. (2024). Reassessment of the enigmati...

LCF in 2025 (November)

LCF in 2025 ( November ) (Quotes from articles and books published in October 2025 mentioning the ligamentum capitis femoris) Awad, A., Rizk, A., ElAlfy, M., Hamed, M., Abdelghany, A. M., Mosbah, E., ... & Karrouf, G. (2025). Synergistic Effects of Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles and Platelet Rich Fibrin on Femoral Head Avascular Necrosis Repair in a Rat Model. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials , 113 (11), e35672. [i] onlinelibrary.wiley.com Loughzail, M. R., Aguenaou, O., Fekhaoui, M. R., Mekkaoui, J., Bassir, R. A., Boufettal, M., ... & Lamrani, M. O. (2025). Posterior Fracture–Dislocation of the Femoral Head: A Case Report and Review of the Literature. Sch J Med Case Rep , 10 , 2483-2486. [ii] saspublishers.com , saspublishers.com Vertesich, K., Noebauer-Huhmann, I. M., Schreiner, M., Schneider, E., Willegger,...

2025ChenJH_AcklandD

The article by Chen JH, Al’Khafaji I, Ernstbrunner L, O’Donnell J, Ackland D. Joint contact behavior in the native, ligamentum teres deficient and surgically reconstructed hip: A biomechanics study on the anatomically normal hip (2025). The authors experimentally demonstrated the role of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) in unloading the upper sector of the acetabulum and the femoral head. The text in Russian is available at the following link: 2025ChenJH_AcklandD . Joint contact behavior in the native, ligamentum teres deficient and surgically reconstructed hip: A biomechanics study on the anatomically normal hip By Chen JH, Al’Khafaji I, Ernstbrunner L, O’Donnell J, Ackland D. CONTENT [i] Abstract [ii] Introduction [iii] Materials and methods [iv] Results [v] Discussion and Conclusion [vi] References [vii] Application [i] Abstract Background The ligamentum teres is known to contribute to hip joint st...

2025VertesichK_ChiariC

Content [i] Annotation [ii] Original text (in German) [iii] References [iv] Source & links [v] Notes [vi] Authors & Affiliations [vii] Keywords [i] Annotation Fragments from the article: Vertesich K, Noebauer-Huhmann IM, Schreiner M, Schneider E, Willegger M, Böhler C, Windhager R, Chiari C. The position of the femoral fovea can indicate hip instability and highly correlates with lesions of the ligamentum teres: an observational study (2025). The authors discuss the diagnosis of pathology of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) based on radiological & MRI data. The text in Russian is available at the following link: 2025VertesichK_ChiariC . [ii] Original text (in German) The position of the femoral fovea can indicate hip instability and highly correlates with lesions of the ligamentum teres: an observational study Klemens Vertesich, Iris-Melanie Noebauer-Huhmann, Marku...

BIBLICAL DAMAGE

Biblical damage (Artists and sculptors on the LCF damage described in the Bible: painting, sculpture, icon, fresco, engraving…) 386Brescia_Casket Bas-relief. Drawing depicting the circumstances and mechanism of the LCF injury. 6c.Vienna_Genesis Miniature. Drawing depicting the circumstances and mechanism of the LCF injury. 10c.Cross Bas-relief. Drawing depi cting the circumstances and mechanism of the LCF injury. 1000Jacob&Archangel Fresco. Drawing depicting the circumstances and mechanism of the LCF injury. 1050Aelfric Drawing depicting the circumstances and mechanism of the LCF injury. 1140St.Marie-Madeleine Capital. Drawing depicting the circumstances and mechanism of the LCF injury. 1143 Palantine_Chapel Mosaic . Drawing depicting the circumstances and mechanism of the LCF injury. 1213L’histoire_ancienne. M iniature . Drawing depicting the circumstances and mecha...

1898AshhurstJ

Report Ashhurst J. Tuberculosis of the hip joint (1898). The author discusses the function of the LCF as a supporting element of the body, its role in the development of deformity of the hip joint, reducing pressure and stress in the femoral head. The most notable quotes: «Of course, the whole weight of the body is not sustained by this ligament, but mostly by the head of the femur in more or less close contact with the cotyloid cavity; but this ligament, I believe, serves to diminish the pressure of the pelvis upon the head of the bone, and to lessen strain. The position of the ligamentum teres is like that of the old-fasioned leather springs which used to be found in stage- coaches, the body of the coach being balanced upon two broad strong bands of leather. The pelvis is to a certain extent similarly balanced upon these ligaments on either side, which are attached to the heads of the thigh- bones, and then pass down to the lower edges of the cotyloid cavities. I b...

DIAGNOSTICS AND EXAMINATION

DIAGNOSTICS AND EXAMINATION (Diagnostic, examination and testing methods... ) Catalog. LCF Pathology Tests Tests for the detection of pathology LCF. 2004VialleR_GlorionC The article discusses the examination technique for dislocation of the femur and describes the radiographic symptom of infringement of the damaged LCF. 2025VertesichK_ChiariC The authors discuss the diagnosis of pathology of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) based on radiological & MRI data. BLOG CONTENT DIAGNOSTICS AND EXAMINATION

The Emergence of Life

THE EMERGENCE OF LIFE According to our definition, life is a way of existence of material objects capable of regulating the level of average daily mechanical stress and reproducing similar entities (2004 Архипов - БалтийскийСВ ). As can be seen, in the given definition there is no reference to protein bodies and organic compounds. Life as a special qualitative state of matter is fundamentally possible not only on the basis of carbon. At the same time, living systems with a different chemistry are unknown, as are extraterrestrial beings. The oldest potentially biogenic carbon on our planet appeared 4.10±0.01 billion years ago, and the simplest living beings appeared 4.1-3.8 billion years ago (2015BellEA_MaoWL). The split of single-celled, anucleate forms of prokaryotes (Procaryota) into bacteria (Eubacteria) and archaea (Archaebacteria) occurred about 4.0 billion years ago (2002HedgesSB). The oldest stromatolites, which are the remains of cyanobacterial communities (Cyanobacteria), bega...

The First Animals

THE FIRST ANIMALS According to molecular clock data, the separation of the Animal Kingdom from the Plant Kingdom occurred 1609±60 Ma (2004HedgesSB_ShoeJL). Molecular estimates indicate that the last common ancestor of multicellular representatives of the fauna (Metazoa) was Neoproterozoic, most likely younger than 800 million years (2015PisaniD_LiuAG). Biomarkers of metazoan living systems identified in sedimentary deposits indicate their presence in the seas since the Cryogenian period (2018ZumbergeJA_SummonsRE), which began around approximately 720 Ma (2023CohenKM_CarN). Multicellular animals were part of early Ediacaran ecosystems and are found below layers dated to 632.5 ± 0.5 Ma (2007Yin_LHuJ). The oldest fossil of a multicellular organism resembling a sponge (Porifera) is about 600 Ma (2015YinZ_TafforeauP). The last Neoproterozoic glaciation (about 582 Ma) coincides with the appearance of complex organisms in the fossil record (2007BowringSA_AllenPA). Ev...

The First Scientific Mention

European science has known the LCF for about 2500 years. It is the most important functional connection of the hip joint. The first person to describe the LCF was Hippocrates (c. 460-370 BCE). A written mention of the LCF is found in §1 of his treatise "On the Instrument of redactions". In our opinion, a book created in the library of the Asclepeion of the island of Kos. Hippocrates did not dissection of the human body, did not operate on the hip joint, did not have a CT scan and MRI. How he could discover the LCF? In our view, it is possible that Hippocrates treated a patient with an open hip dislocation. Track Music: Blue Dot Sessions , Vittoro (CC BY-NC 4.0 DEED / fragment) keywords: ligamentum capitis femoris, ligament of head of femur, ligamentum teres, hip dislocation . ...

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