Clitoral Anatomy in the Feminist Literature: Vagina obscura: An anatomical voyage (2020) and Clitoral Conventions and Transgressions: Graphical representations in anatomy texts, c1900-1991 (1995).

O'Connell et al. proposed that the vestibular bulbs be renamed the "clitoral bulbs" because of their consistent relationship to the clitoris and inconsistent relationship to the vestibule. Normally such proposed esoteric changes in anatomical nomenclature would get little notice by anatomists, yet alone the general public; however, many subsequent articles and books placed this change in the context of centuries of male anatomists and physicians downplaying female sexual anatomy and sexuality.

Infants can breathe and swallow at the same time?

The concept that infants can breathe and swallow simultaneously due to distinct breathing and swallowing channels was propagated primarily by Edmund Crelin and his student, Jeffrey Laitman. Our evaluation of the primary research article that supported this concept found the article to be unconvincing due to numerous misrepresentations of prior data as well as those presented in the article. Despite clear evidence that newborns cannot breathe and swallow simultaneously, Crelin and Laitman continued to support this concept well into the 21st century, which resulted in the concept becoming imbedded in popular literature and the internet, with potentially significant negative clinical consequences.

Newborn anatomy.

Newborn anatomy, despite being distinctly different than adult anatomy, does not constitute a major component of a typical medical school course in gross anatomy. Accordingly, there is a perception that other than the well-known late 20th-century atlas and small textbook by Edmund Crelin on newborn anatomy, there is almost no information available for anatomists and clinicians to refer to on normal infant anatomy. This perception, as verbalized by Crelin in his books, is not correct.

Risk factors for neonatal brachial plexus palsy attributed to anatomy, physiology, and evolution.

The inherent variable anatomy of the neonate and the uniquely-shaped maternal birth canal that is associated with the evolution of human bipedalism constitute risk factors for neonatal brachial plexus palsy (NBPP). For example, those neonates with a prefixed brachial plexus (BP) are at greater risk of trauma due to lateral neck traction during delivery than those with a normal or postfixed BP. Compared to adults, neonates also have extremely large and heavy heads (high head: body ratio) set upon necks with muscles and ligaments that are weak and poorly developed.

Hemifacial spasm caused by an aberrant jugular branch of the ascending pharyngeal artery.

We present the first report of a case of hemifacial spasm caused by an anomalous, enlarged branch of the ascending pharyngeal artery and treated with microvascular decompression. Clinicians must appreciate unusual causes of hemifacial spasm so that patients are not denied a curative operation due to atypical radiographic findings.

The anatomy of nuchal translucency at 10-14 weeks gestation in fetuses with trisomy 21: An incredible medical mystery.

Nuchal translucency (NT) is a hypo-echoic region of subcutaneous fluid accumulation in the posterior neck at the level of the cervical spine between the skin and soft tissues found at 10-14 weeks gestation. This ultrasound finding is important because increased NT measurements place the fetus at increased risk for chromosomal and structural abnormalities. It is a fascinating phenomenon that displays the intersection of anatomy, development, and imaging.

The normal and variant clinical anatomy of the sensory supply of the orbit.

Orbital and retro-orbital pain are relatively common clinical conditions that are associated with such disorders as trigeminal, lacrimal, and ciliary neuralgia, cluster headaches, paroxysmal hemicrania, inflammatory orbital pseudotumor, trochleitis, and herpetic neuralgia ophthalmicus, thus making the nerves supplying the orbit of great clinical importance. Surprisingly, how pain from this region reaches conscious levels is enigmatic. Classically, it has been assumed that pain reaches the ophthalmic division of the trigeminal nerve (V1 ) and travels to the descending spinal trigeminal nucleus.

Vacuum phenomenon: Clinical relevance.

Vacuum phenomenon (VP) is an anatomical entity of potential confusion in the diagnosis and evaluation of joint pathology. Observation of this phenomenon has been demonstrated on basic radiographs, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging. Although VP is most often associated with degenerative joint disease, it is observed with other pathologies.

The anatomy of vascular compression in trigeminal neuralgia.

The etiological basis of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is unknown but vascular (arterial and venous) compression of the trigeminal nerve roots has emerged as the likely cause in most cases. Here we examine the evidence for the "brain sagging/arterial elongation hypothesis" with reference to the cerebral arteries and veins believed to cause the compression. Most often implicated are the superior cerebellar artery, the anterior and posterior inferior cerebellar arteries, and the superior petrosal vein including several of its tributaries.

The neglected cranial nerve: nervus terminalis (cranial nerve N).

The nervus terminalis (NT; terminal nerve) was clearly identified as an additional cranial nerve in humans more than a century ago yet remains mostly undescribed in modern anatomy textbooks. The nerve is referred to as the nervus terminalis because in species initially examined its fibers were seen entering the brain in the region of the lamina terminalis. It has also been referred to as cranial nerve 0, but because there is no Roman symbol for zero, an N for the Latin word nulla is a better numerical designation.

The anatomy of osteoarthritic joint pain.

The anatomical understanding of the pain generators in osteoarthritis (OA) is incomplete and the teaching about these pain generators in medical school anatomy/histology courses is minimal. This review covers the nociceptive innervation of synovial joints for the purposes of teaching. Studies that discuss the presence of neuropeptides involved in pain, such as Substance P (SP) and calcitonin-gene-related peptide, are the focus of this review.

The laryngeal saccule: clinical significance.

The association between the laryngeal saccule and a laryngocele is an important clinical relationship. Here, we describe this and other clinical correlations of the saccule including infection and carcinoma and suggest that these should be discussed in medical gross anatomy courses. We also briefly present some descriptive information on the anatomy and function of the saccule in humans and other higher primates.

Treatment and diagnostic accuracy of neurosyphilis at Boston City Hospital's Neurological Unit, 1930-1979.

The twentieth century was marked with frequent advances in the treatment and diagnosis of neurosyphilis. Once considered one of the most serious human diseases, neurosyphilis was paramount to a death sentence often preceded by agonizing pain and/or diminishing mental capacities. Since the introduction of penicillin in 1943, however, the prevalence of neurosyphilis has declined dramatically and the prognosis of the few still affected has been greatly improved.

The diagnosis of postencephalitic parkinsonism at the neurological unit of Boston City Hospital, 1930-1981.

The objective of the study is to ascertain the rationale for the diagnosis of postencephalitic parkinsonism (PEP) at Boston City Hospital's Neurological Unit (1930-1981). 5,270 discharge summaries were evaluated for the diagnoses of PEP. Sixteen cases of PEP were identified; the diagnosis of PEP was justified in approximately half of these cases based on the published criteria for distinguishing PEP from Parkinson's disease (PD).

Does the historical literature on encephalitis lethargica support a simple (direct) relationship with postencephalitic Parkinsonism?

This article and the subsequent one suggest that the currently accepted view of a simplistic (direct) relationship between encephalitis lethargica (EL) and postencephalitic Parkinsonism (PEP) is based on a incomplete evaluation of the epidemic period literature. In this article we provide a detailed analysis of the literature from the period that demonstrates that Parkinsonism was not initially part of acute EL symptomatology, that PEP was not typically the prevailing type of chronic EL and that oculogyric crises were never part of acute EL symptomatology and not initially associated with PEP. The second paper uses these finding, and also examines the clinical justifications for concluding that all patients with PEP had prior acute episodes of EL, to reevaluate the presumed direct etiologic relationship between EL and PEP.

A historical analysis of the relationship between encephalitis lethargica and postencephalitic parkinsonism: a complex rather than a direct relationship.

Postencephalitic parkinsonism has been considered unique among disorders with parkinsonian features because it is believed to have a unitary etiology associated with the virus that presumably caused encephalitis lethargica. Careful analysis of the historical record, however, suggests that this relationship is more complex than commonly perceived. In most cases, the diagnosis of acute encephalitis lethargica was made post hoc, and virtually any catarrh-like illness was considered to have represented encephalitis lethargica, often after an oral history-taking that was undoubtedly subject to patient recall and physician bias.

CT demonstration of caput medusae.

Maximum intensity and volume rendered CT displays of caput medusae are provided to demonstrate both the anatomy and physiology of this portosystemic shunt associated with portal hypertension.

Does opioid use for pain management warrant routine bone mass density screening in men?

Background: Although opioids are known to inhibit testosterone production and bone formation, no prior study has investigated the relationship between opioid use in male subjects and bone mass density measurements.

Method: Eighty-one male patients who had been using opioids for a period of time from a few weeks to 20 years were included in this study. Blood samples were obtained to examine the total testosterone level of these subjects and each patient also had a bone mass density scan.