Biomedical Ephemera, or: A Frog for Your Boils

The varied offerings of Charles Lentz & Sons

There isn’t a lot of history available about the Charles Lentz & Sons company, aside from their various catalogues. They offered all manner of medical apparatus, as well as zoological and biological equipment. They were based out of Philadelphia, PA, and were one of the first United States medical equipment companies to ship “worldwide” (as it were in 1915).

Illustrated catalogue : and price list of surgical instruments, hospital supplies, orthopedic apparatus, trusses, etc. Charles Lentz & Sons, 1915.

Bones and Muscles of the Thigh and Leg

“Clorion” appears to have been Martha Chase Owen, the wife of Richard Owen, who was the son of the founder of the settlement of Harmonie/New Harmony, Indiana. She first arrived in the settlement with her first husband, Dr. Thomas Chase, who was an artist and a chemist.

After a year of turmoil and being turned out of her own house, Dr. Chase confronted his wife’s friend Richard Owen, who’d been walking around town with Martha....

[Anatomical Illustrations taken from The Domestic Physician]. Clorion, 1830. Via Historical Anatomies on the Web.

Principal external muscles of the body (Labels modernised)

1. Triceps brachii 2. Deltoid 3. Rotundus major 4. Latissimus dorsi 5. Pectoralis major 6. External oblique 7. Rectus abdominus 8. Sartorius 9. Rector femoris 10. Vastus lateralis 11. Vastus medialis 12. Gastrocnemius 13. Soleus

[Anatomical Illustrations taken from The Domestic Physician]. Clorion, 1830. Via Historical Anatomies on the Web.

Hey, look! We’ve got new clues on the triggers for leglessness in snakes!

We know that snakes originally had four limbs; they were basically just long lizards.

The fossil record was already strong as to when and how it happened (at least physically), and we’ve even known for a long time that the front limbs became vestigial and disappeared long before the hind limbs.

But now a new study seems to show that the Sonic Hedgehog Gene (SHH), which also influences eye, brain, and central midline splitting in vertebrates, is the gene responsible for reducing the size of snake limbs. It’s a fascinating gene, and is what’s responsible for most incidences of cyclopia (one-eyedness) in mammals.

While SHH is actually not mutated in snakes, an enhancer gene that turns it “on” and “off” during development has three separate mutations. Whereas a limbed vertebrate has the trigger gene keeping SHH active throughout the embryonic and fetal development process, in snakes, it flickers on and almost immediately shuts off. No limbs if it doesn’t stay on!

While this might not have been the very first step in making snakes legless, it’s a huge clue as to how they evolved.

I wonder what gene mutations are found in legless lizards? Get on it, Science!

More Information:

UF Health video explaination

Basics of why three tiny tweaks can influence all the limbs

"Philip Verheyen dissecting his amputated limb"

Philip Verheyen may well have been a forgotten student of the clergy, a layperson of the Renaissance, whose presence, while important, was not so documented, if not for a "fortuitous" infection of his foot, while studying in the seminary.

The surgeon who met with Verheyen and ultimately amputated his lower leg (rendering him unfit for the clergy) was a student of Frederik Ruysch, the famed Dutch anatomist and botanist, and spoke long to Verheyen about the fascinating aspects of the anatomy of the leg - as well as why it must be amputated.

After his amputation, Philip was forced to pursue another profession, and given how fascinating he found the dissection of his amputated limb, found the life of a surgeon to be agreeable with his new-found interests.

While he was a good and celebrated surgeon of Belgium, his lost limb caused him much turmoil throughout his life. Though well-documented and recognized today, in Verheyen's time, "phantom limb pain" was not a condition that was considered to be "real". Mr. Verheyen persevered, however, and despite the agony evident in his diaries, was a successful surgeon who served many in his day.

Anonymous artist, c. 1715-1730. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Fig 1: Front side of Os Femoris (the femur bone) Fig 2: Back side of Os Femoris Fig 3: Underside of Patella, where it moves against the Os Femoris

The femur is, by most measures, the strongest bone in the tetrapod body. Its articulation with the acetebelum of the pelvis forms the freely-moving synovial hip joint, and its articulation with the tibia and patella at its distal end forms the knee joint. These joints accommodate walking, running, and jumping, which are critical activities for the survival of most tetrapods.

At the bottom of the front-facing femur (Fig 1), you can see an articular depression between the two condyles, called the patellar surface. This is where the patella rests. The deeper notch in the back of the femur (Fig 2) provides an articular surface for the many ligaments of the knee joint.

The patella's primary purpose is to provide protection to the crucial structures in the knee. The synovial joint is strong, but if it got damaged when we were still living off the land, it could mean death from an inability to farm or hunt.

Cheselden's Plates of the Human Bones. William Cheselden, 1814 reprint.

Lateral radiograph illustrating articulation of the knee joint

The human knee is a massively complicated system of muscles, bone articulations, tendons, ligaments, and bursae. Given that over 300% of the body weight is exerted upon the knee when you're doing nothing more than walking (and nearly 600% while running), is it any surprise that it's the most common joint needing operation? Atlas for Electro-diagnosis and Therapeutics. F. Miramond de LaRoquette, translated from German by Mary Gregson Cheetham, 1920.

Gluteal muscles

The three primary gluteal muscles (maximus, medius, and minimus), in addition to the tensor fasciae latae (lateral to the primary muscles), comprise the gluteal group, which provides the majority of the support and movement that allows humans to walk upright, rotate our legs, and support our torso.

Each individual muscle is often involved in many different movements, though not always as the primary player. All four gluteal muscles originate from the outer ilium (the back of the "wings" on the pelvis). This is known as the gluteal surface.

Gluteus maximus: (Top Left) The largest muscle in the body. Supports the pelvis, lower torso, and allows the body to remain upright and regain position after stopping movement. Despite claims to the contrary, the gluteus maximus is not what gives the majority of the shape to the buttocks - that's largely determined by the panniculus adiposus ("hanging fat") of the buttocks. However, exercising the gluteus maximus may cause fat loss, which gives the impression that it is the primary progenitor of the shape. Gluteus medius: (Top Center) Originates right below the gluteus maximus. Responsible for abducting the leg and maintaining an upright position while on one leg, such as during running, dancing, or entering a car. Gluteus minimus: (Top Right) The smallest of the three primary gluteals, works in concert with the gluteus medius to maintain an upright position on one leg, as well as allowing the leg to turn inwards and outwards (medial rotation). Tensor fasciae latae: (Bottom; near sartorus muscle) Located on the outside edge of the thigh, lateral to the primary gluteals. Causes knee extension, and functions to cause the primary movements during walking. Supported by the gluteus maximus. Used extensively in horseback riding.

Images: Top: Posterior muscles of the gluteal and thigh region. Gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus highlighted. From Anatomy, Descriptive and Applied. Henry Gray, 1913. Highlighted by Mikael Haggstrom. Bottom: Structures surrounding the right hip joint, including gluteal muscles. From Anatomy, Descriptive and Applied. Henry Gray, 1908.

Lower extremity of newborn, under running water for several months - formation of "adipocere"

One of the most interesting things to find in a cadaver is when adipocere forms. This so-called "grave wax" shows that a body is at least several months old, as it takes a while for the biochemical reactions to take place that form this substance.

While most cadavers go through the full decomposition process and are rotted away by bacteria and other organisms, bodies that form adipocere begin a process of anaerobic bacterial hydrolysis at the start of the putrefaction stage of decomposition. As most of the proteins in the body are digested, the fat in the body racidifies, and instead of being digested with everything else, breaks down into glycerine, fatty solids (saturated fats), and fluid fatty acids (unsaturated fat). The glycerine and fluid fatty acids are washed away or dissolved, and the solid fat remains behind, forming a cast of the body.

Adipocere is white or gray, and very much like thick cottage cheese in its crumbly texture. It's very hardy and preservative in quality, and cadavers over 700 years old have been found to have easily-discernible fine facial structures because of it. However, the formation of the substance requires very specific conditions to be met, the most important of which is a body with a relatively high fat content (though there are occasional exceptions). Because of this, infants, young women, and the obese are most likely to be found in this state.

Atlas of Legal Medicine. Dr. Eduard von Hofmann, 1898.

Amputation avec wigs!

The far-right image depicts a clamp, which halted bloodflow to the limb being amputated. So, you know, people didn't bleed to death and stuff.

A General System of Surgery in Three Parts. Laurence Heister, 1745.

Combustio (X-Rays)

This patient had been exposed to a single long exposure of x-ray radiation in the thought that it would help a chronic swelling of his thigh. Over the course of the hours and days following the exposure, the skin became brown, then red, then white, and eventually ulcerated. There was also noticeable hardening of the skin and hypodermis in the most burned sections.

The brown areas shown are the least affected. The ulcers cleared in short order, with the application of dusting powder. The hardened skin and sub-dermal tissues regained its normal pliability within several weeks.

Iconograms: A Collection of Colored Plates Illustrating Interesting Surgical Conditions. Prof. Bockenheimer, 1913.

Medial and caudal views of the musculoskeletal system of the dog - left forelimb from the elbow down.

Illustrating the tendons, muscles, and bones of the paws. Shepherd dog from Germany used for illustration - likely similar to today's German Shepherds.

Handbuch der Anatomie der Tiere für Künstler. Wilhelm Ellenberger, Hermann Baum, and Hermann Dittrich, 1898.