Trepanation practices in Asclepieia: systematizing a neurosurgerical innovation.

As ancient Greeks started looking for deities that could fulfil the pragmatic needs of common people, local heroes started being mythologized and worshipped through cults. The most widespread such example was Asclepius, possibly a skilled war surgeon who followed military expeditions to Colchis and Troy. He was worshipped at religious temples called Asclepieia where certain specific medical and surgical techniques were followed. The most advanced must have been skull trepanation, most likely done as an acute operation to release intracranial pressure. The contemporary Hippocratic corpus provided extensive descriptions of the technique and archaeological evidence have shown that many patients survived the operation. Decompressive craniectomy techniques have been practiced for millennia but it is possible that they were first systematized as a neurosurgical innovation through the Ancient Greek religious cult followed in Asclepieia

An unusual case of asymmetrical combined variations of the subclavian and axillary artery with clinical significance

In a Greek Caucasian male cadaver, a combination of the following arterial variations were observed: an aberrant right subclavian artery originating as a last branch of the aortic arch and coursed posterior to the oesophagus, a right non-recurrent laryngeal nerve, an atypical origin of the left suprascapular artery from the axillary artery, an unusual emersion of the lateral thoracic artery from the subscapular artery and a separate origin of the left thoracodorsal artery from the axillary artery. According to the available literature the corresponding incidences of the referred variants are: 0.7% for the aberrant right subclavian artery, 1.6–3.8% for the origin of the suprascapular artery from the axillary artery, 3% for the origin of the left thoracodorsal artery from the axillary artery and 30% for the origin of the lateral thoracic artery from the subscapular artery. Such unusual coexistence of arterial variations may developmentally be explained and has important clinical significance

An aperture in the sagittal plane of the dorsal wall of the sacrum

The dorsal wall of the sacrum presents various anatomical variations, while the dorsal bony wall of the sacral canal suffers more. We report a case of a sacrum with a series of variants in the midline due to abnormal ossification and a bizarre aperture on the sagittal plane between the 1st and the 2nd sacral spinous processes. A failure of the ossification patter during embryological life, or an ossification of the supraspinous ligament may result in such an aperture. Sacrum variety is of great importance for the daily proper medical practice

Case series and a systematic review concerning the level of the aortic bifurcation

Background: The aim of this study is to present the level of aortic bifurcation in a sample of Greek origin (case series) and to perform an up-to-date systematic review in the existing literature. Materials and methods: Seventy-six formalin-fixed adult cadavers were dissected and studied in order to research the level of aortic bifurcation. Additionally, PubMed and Google Scholar databases were searched for eligible articles concerning the level of aortic bifurcation for the period up to February 2020. Results: The mean level of aortic bifurcation according to our case series was the lower third of the L4 vertebral body (21/76, 27.6%). The level of aortic bifurcation ranged between the lower third of the L3 vertebral body and the lower third of the L5 body. No statistically significant correlation was found between the two sexes. The systematic review of the literature revealed 31 articles which were considered eligible and a total number of 3537 specimens were retracted. According to the recorded findings the most common mean level of aortic bifurcation was the body of L4 vertebra (1495/3537 cases, 42.2%), while the range of aortic bifurcation was described to occur from upper third of L3 vertebrae to the upper third of the S1 vertebrae in the 52.8% of the cases (1866/3537). Conclusions: The mean level of AA corresponds to the body of L4 and presents a great range (form L3U to S1U). Knowledge of the mean level of aortic bifurcation and its probable ranges is of great significance for interventional radiologists and especially vascular surgeons that deal with aneurism proximal to the aortic bifurcation

A cadaveric study of anatomical variations of the normal arterial pattern in hellenic population

Introduction. Arterial variations may cause significant complications during diagnostic and interventional procedures. The objective of the study. Our study examined 73 donated cadavers in the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, in an effort to unearth possible artery alternations. Material and methods. The major branches of the abdominal aorta, the arteries of the limps and the neck were inquired. Results. In 58.9% of the cadavers no arterial variation was found, whereas one, two and three alternations at the same cadaver were observed in 21.9%, 12.3% and 6.8% respectively. The most common anatomical variations were noted in the vascular branching of the celiac trunk found in 24.7% of the cadavers. Conclusions. There was no statistically significant difference between the two genders concerning the frequency of the observed arterial variations (p<0.05)

The hygienist and sociologist Louis-René Villermé (1782-1863): a pioneer of occupational medicine.

BACKGROUND: Louis-René Villermé's work and research have ranked him among the most important figures in the history of occupational medicine. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this article were to objectively record the influence and the impact of Villermé's life and work on the establishment of occupational medicine. METHODS: A thorough analysis of scientific and historical literature on the subject was conducted. The authors paid special attention to primary French sources. RESULTS: Louis-René Villermé was born in Paris in 10 March 1782. Taking advantage of his good fortune and financial prosperity, due to the recognition of his initial work, he progressed efficiently and with decision towards a new way of thinking. He stressed the importance of observation of the social environment, the role of investigations on lack of hygiene, the significance of statistical recording and the study of demographic statistics, and devoted himself to the labour force's health problems. He died in his homestead on 16 November 1863. CONCLUSIONS: Villermé lived an intense life full of activity, social work and travel. His support of the working classes' rights, his opposition to child labour and gender inequality, and his fight for humane conditions in prisons remain diachronic ideals. He provided a reference model for socio-medical research and contributed to the establishment of the new scientific discipline, Occupational Medicine

Joseph-Claude-Anthelme Récamier (1774-1852): forerunner in surgical oncology.

Professor J.C.A. Récamier (1774-1852), the undisputed founder of modern gynecologic surgery, had also excelled in the field of oncology. In particular, he performed the first successful vaginal hysterectomy for cancer; he conducted extensive research on cancer metastatic process and he was the proponent of a cancer treatment method by compression

The earliest mention of a black bag

A black bag, needed especially for home visits, has been used since the time of Hippocrates who, in his treatise &quot;On good manners&quot;, gave the first detailed description of a medical bag with guidelines for the required equipment and structure. Ancient Egyptian and Palestinian references also date back at least two millenniums. © 2011 Informa Healthcare