Lacertus in der Geschichte der anatomischen Nomenklatur

Abstract

In Classical Latin lacertus was a polysemic word which in addition to meaning "lizard" had the meaning "muscle" and so especially in anatomy "(upper arm) muscle, upper arm, arm". In the Middle Ages, semantic narrowing of lacertus began and the word referred mostly to the muscle. At the same time, a distinction was made between musculus and lacertus, but often without clear criteria for distinguishing between them. Great modern history anatomists, beginning with Andreas Vesalius, presented, in addition to the expression musculus, other terms for muscle-lacertus and pisciculus-but they showed a preference for musculus. In the 18th century, there was a further semantic reduction of lacertus to "little bundle of muscle fibers, fasciculus". In 1694, William Cowper was the first to describe the aponeurosis of bicipital muscle calling it fascia tendinosa. Later, other terms were also used for this structure. In 1864, Josef Hyrtl added the synonymous term lacertus fibrosus to the German aponeurotisches Fascikel. Finally, this term (lacertus fibrosus) became part of the first unified anatomical nomenclature, BNA in 1895. The synonym aponeurosis m. bicipitis brachii was added in the Paris anatomical nomenclature of 1955 and these two terms have persisted in the official anatomical nomenclature to this day.

How to Differentiate Pronator Syndrome from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Comprehensive Clinical Comparison

“…Additionally, named the bicipital aponeurosis in the literature [ 12 , 45 , 46 ], the LF is a fascial extension that extends from the distal part of the ulnar aspect of the biceps tendon, crosses the antecubital fossa obliquely, travels anteriorly to the MN, and merges with the deep fascia of the flexor section of the forearm muscles [ 7 ]. Passive pronation of the biceps tendon drags on the structure, compressing those lying inferiorly, including the MN, which can cause PS symptoms [ 37 ].…”