25bc-50Celsus

Fragment from the treatise Celsus AC On Medicine (De Medicina, ca. 25-30). The author recommends specific treatment for the traumatic pathology of ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF). See our commentary at the link: 25bc-50Celsus [Rus], and 2020ArkhipovSV_ProlyginaIV.

Quote.

[Lat]

Liber octavus. Cp. XX. De Femore luxato.

Magnum autem femori periculum est, ne vel difficulter reponatur, vel repositum rursus excidat. Quidam semper iterum excidere contendunt: sed Hippocrates, et Diocles, et Philotimus, et Nileus, et Heraclides Tarentinus, clari admodum auctores, ex toto se restituisse memoriae prodiderunt. Neque tot genera machinamentorum quoque, ad extendendum in hoc casu femur, Hippocrates, Andreas, Nileus, Nymphodorus, Protarchus, Heraclides, faber quoque quidam reperissent, si id frustra esset. Sed ut haec falsa opinio est; sic illud verum est: cum ibi valentissimi nervi musculique sint, si suum robur habent, vix admittere; si non habent, postea non continere.

Tentandum igitur est, et, si tenerius membrum est, satis est habenam alteram ab inguine, aiteram a genu intendi: si validius, melius adducent, qui easdem habenas ad valida bacula deligarint; cumque eorum fustium imas partes oppositae morae objecerint, superiores ad se utraque manu traxernt. Etiamnum valentius intenditur membrum super scamnum, cui ab utraque parte axes sunt, ad quos habenae illae deligantur: qui, ut in torcularibus, conversi, rumpere quoque, si quis perseveraverit, non solum extendere, nervos et musculos possunt.

Collocandus autem homo super id scamnum est, aut pronus, aut supinus, aut in latus, sic, ut semper ea pars superior sit, in quam os prolapsum est; ea etiam inferior, a qua recessit. Nervis extentis, si in priorem partem os venit, rotundum aliquid super inguen ponendum; subitoque super id genu adducendum est eodem modo, eademque de causa, qua idem in brachio fit; protinusque, si complicari femur potest, intus est.

In ceteris vero casibus, ubi ossa per vim paulum inter se recesserunt, medicus debet id, quod eminet, retro cogere; minister contra coxam propellere. Reposito osse, nihil novi aliud curatio requirit, quam ut diutius is in lecto detineatur; ne, si motum adhuc nervis laxioribus femur fuerit, rursus erumpat. (original source: 1831CelsusAC, Vol. 2, pp. 442-444) + Potest tamen conditus articulus medius aut summus canaliculo, aliquo contineri. (original source: 1713CelsusAC, p. 555)

Translation

[Eng]

Book VIII. Chap. XX. Luxation of the Femur.

But the greatest danger is, in a luxation of the femur, lest there be a difficulty in replacing it, or, when reduced, it may slip out again. Some maintain that it always does so, but Hippocrates, Diocles, Philotinus, Nileus, and Heraclides the Tarentine, all very celebrated authors, have asserted that they have effected a perfect cure. Neither would Hippocrates, Andreas, Nileus, Nymphodorus, Protarcchus, Heraclides, and also a certain mechanician, have invented so many kinds of machines for extending the femur in this case, if it had been to no purpose. But as this opinion is false, so is the other true; since the ligaments and muscles there being very powerful, scarcely admit of reduction, if they retain their natural strength: if they do not, the femur cannot be maintained in its place, after it has been veduced.

Therefore it must be tried, and if the limb be tender, it will be sufficient for one strap to be extended from the groin, and another from the knee; if the person be muscular, the extension will be made better, by attaching these Straps to strong sticks, placing the lower end of these sticks against a fulcrum, and pulling the upper ends with both hands. The extension of the limb may be still more powerfully effected by placing it on a bench, with pulleys at each end, to which these straps are made fast; these being turned in the manner of a wine-press, they will not only extend the limb, but even rupture the ligaments and muscles, should the operator persevere.

Now the patient is to be placed on this bench, either prone or supine, or upon his side, provided that the part to which the bone has been impelled be always uppermost, and that from which it has slipped, the lowermost. The ligaments being put upon the stretch, if the bone be dislocated anteriorly, some rounded body is to be placed upon the groin, and the knee is to be drawn suddenly towards the abdomen in the same way, and for the same reason, that is directed for a luxation of the arm; and if the femur can be flexed, it will be immediately reduced.

But in the other accidents, where the bones have receded a little from each other by violence, the physician ought to force that back which projects, and an assistant should impel the pelvis in a contrary direction. The bone being replaced, the subsequent treatment requires nothing additional, except that the patient be detained in bed for a longer period, lest the femur being moved whilst the ligaments are yet very relaxed, it may again slip out. (original source: 1831CelsusAC, Vol. 2, pp. 442-444) + However, the reduced joint can be fixed with a medium or deep groove. (our translation of the final sentence of the paragraph from 1713CelsusAC, p. 555)

External links

Celsus AC. De medicina libri octo. Brevioribus Rob. Constntini, IS. Casauboni Aliorum que Scholiis ac locis parallelis illustrati. Cura c Studio TH. J. ae ALMELOVEEN… Amstelædami: Apud J. Wolters, 1713. [archive.org]

Celsus AC. On medicine, in eight books, Latin and English. Translated from L. Targa's edition, the words of the text being arranged in the order of construction. To which are prefixed, a life of the author, tables of weights and measures, with explanatory notes, etc. designed to facilitate the progress of medical students. By Alex. Lee, A.M., Surg. In two volumes. London: E. Cox, MDCCCXXXI [1831]. [archive.org1 , archive.org2]

Authors & Affiliations

Aulus Cornelius Celsus (ca. 25 BC – ca. 50) was a Roman encyclopaedist. [wikipedia.org]

Aulus Cornelius Celsus
Engraving from Acta Medicorum Berolinensium, in Incrementum Artis & Scientiarum collecta & digesta. Volume IV. Berlin: Gottfried Gedicke, 1719;
original in the wikimedia.org collection (CC0 – public domain, no changed).

Keywords

ligamentum capitis femoris, ligamentum teres, ligament of head of femur, synonym, dislocation, treatment, pathology, damage, Celsus

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

ANCIENT MENTIONS

Comments

1902RilkeRM

Works of art that mention ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) are extremely rare. One such work is the poem «Der Schauende» ( He Who Visions, The Seer, The Man Watching, The Beholder) b y Rainer Rilke. Below is the original text in German. Der Schauende 1. Ich sehe den Bäumen die Stürme an, die aus laugewordenen Tagen an meine ängstlichen Fenster schlagen, und höre die Fernen Dinge sagen, die ich nicht ohne Freund ertragen, nicht ohne Schwester lieben kann. 2. Da geht der Sturm, ein Umgestalter, geht durch den Wald und durch die Zeit, und alles ist wie ohne Alter: die Landschaft, wie ein Vers im Psalter, ist Ernst und Wucht und Ewigkeit. 3. Wie ist das klein, womit wir ringen, was mit uns ringt, wie ist das groß; ließen wir, ähnlicher den Dingen, uns so vom großen Sturm bezwingen, - wir würden weit und namenlos. 4. Was wir besiegen, ist das Kleine, und der Erfolg selbst macht uns klein. Das Ewige und Ungemeine will nicht von uns gebogen sein. Das ist der Enge...

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...

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., ...

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...

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)»...

1626BartholinC

Fragment from the book Bartholin C. Anatomicae Institutiones Corporis Humani (1626). The author describes the anatomy, topography, geometric and mechanical properties of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF). The term «terete» (rounded) is used to indicate its geometry. The term «cartilagine» (cartilaginous) is used to describe the hardness of the LCF, and the analogy of «nervus esset cartilaginosus» (like a cartilaginous sinew) is given. Similar terminological elements are present in the works of Galen of Pergamon and Theophilus Protospatharius ( 2020ArkhipovSV_ProlyginaIV ). See the previous edition at the link: 1611BartholinC Quote p. 409 [Lat] Cap. XXI. DE OSSIBUS TOTIUS PEDIS. … I. Est caput maximum & rotundum, ex appendice factum, quod in coxendicis acetabulum inseritur, & duplici ligamento cum coxendice nectitur: uno communi, lato, membraneo, sed satis crasso, orbiculatum articulum ambiente; altero terete, quasi cartilagine (ac si nervus esset cart...

1905BardeenCR

An excerpt from the article by Bardeen CR. Studies of the development of the human skeleton (1905). The author briefly discusses the emergence of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF). Quote p. 287 The hip-joint is represented at first by a dense mass of scleroblastema, Fig. 55. The development of the acetabulum by ingrowth and fusion of processes from the iliac, ischial and pubic cartilages has already been described. The cartilagenous joint-cavity is at first quite shallow, Fig. 56. But extension of cartilage into the blastemal tissue which passes from the pelvis over the head of the femur serves greatly to deepen it on all sides except in the region of the cotyloid notch. The joint-cavity is at first completely filled with a dense blastemat tissue, Fig. 56. While the embryo is growing from 20 to 30 mm. in length cavity formation begins in the tissue lying between the cartilagenous floor of the acetabulum and the head of the femur. The first stage in the process is marked by a c...

1720RuyschF

The author draws attention to the well-developed blood supply of the acetabular fossa, as well as the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF). In the work, it is referred to as the «ligamentum nerveo-cartilagineum», which literally means the tough cartilaginous ligament and implies its strength. With the difficulty of accessing the acetabular fossa, and therefore the LCF, Frederik Ruysch associates the inefficiency of treating hip joint pain. The writer presumably implies osteoarthritis. In our opinion, its development is initiated by the pathology of the LCF ( 2012АрхиповСВ ). The discussed work includes a black and white drawing of the LCF of a child, made by the illustrator Jan Wandelaar. In color, the same preparation, but from a different angle, was depicted by the artist Jan l'Admiral in a separate publication ( 1738LadmiralJ ). Ruysch F. Adversarium anatomico-medico-chirurgicorum decas secunda. In quâ varia notatu digna recensentur. Cum figuris aeneis. Amsterdami: a...

Human Children. Retelling of Chapter 14

Short retelling of chapter 14 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 14. ESAU AND JACOB At 40, Isaac marries Rebekah, his cousin’s daughter. Their marriage is long childless until Rebekah conceives twins, detected prenatally, possibly by her large belly or palpation. Genesis states that at 60, Isaac fathers the twins, born naturally after 20 years of marriage. The first, Esau, emerges “red, all hairy like a cloak,” followed by Jacob, unremarkable but grasping Esau’s heel. Over time, their differences deepen: Esau, a skilled hunter, roams fields; Jacob, gentle, stays in tents. Famine forces the family from “Beer-Lahai-Roi” in the Negev to “Gerar’s Philistine king,” then to “Gerar’s valley,” and finally to Beersheba. At 40, Jacob, urged by Rebekah, deceives blind Isaac to steal Esau’s inheritance, sparking enmity. Rebekah advises Jacob to flee to rela...

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