Abstract
The anatomical terminology is a base for medical communication. It is elaborated into a nomenclature in Latin. Its history goes back to 1895, when the first Latin anatomical nomenclature was published as Basiliensia Nomina Anatomica. It was followed by seven revisions (Jenaiensia Nomina Anatomica 1935, Parisiensia Nomina Anatomica 1955, Nomina Anatomica 2nd to 6th edition 1960–1989). The last revision, Terminologia Anatomica, (TA) created by the Federative Committee on Anatomical Terminology and approved by the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists, was published in 1998. Apart from the official Latin anatomical terminology, it includes a list of recommended English equivalents. In this article, major changes and pitfalls of the nomenclature are discussed, as well as the clinical anatomy terms. The last revision (TA) is highly recommended to the attention of not only teachers, students and researchers, but also to clinicians, doctors, translators, editors and publishers to be followed in their activities.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bauhin, C (1605) Theatrum anatomicum, infinitis locis aucrum, ad morbos accomodatum et ab erroribus ab authore repurgatum, observationibus et figuris aliquot novis aeneis illustratum opera sumptibusque. Matthäus Becker, Francofurti
Berengario da Carpi J (1523) Isagogae breues, perlucidae ac uberrimae in anatomiam humani corporis a communi medicorum academia usitatam, a Carpo in almo Bononiensi gymnasio ordinariam chirurgiae docente, ad suorum scholasticorum preces in lucem datae. Per Benedictum Hectoris Bibliopolam Bononiensem, Bononiae, p 80
Caggiati A, Bergan JJ, Gloviczki P et al (2002) Nomenclature of the veins of the lower limbs: an international interdisciplinary consensus statement. J Vasc Surg 36:416–422
Donath T (1969) Anatomical dictionary with nomenclatures and explanatory notes. Pergamon Press, Oxford, p 634
Fabry P, Baud R, Lovis C (2005) Towards a mutilingual version of terminologia anatomica. In: Engelbrecht R et al (ed) Connecting medical informatics and bio-informatics, ENMI, Geneva, pp 665–670
FCAT (1998) Terminologia anatomica. Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart, p 292 (CD-ROM)
FICAT (2008) Terminologia histologica: international terms for human cytology and histology. Wolters Kluwer, Philadelphia, p 207
Hahn von Dorsche H (1981) Die Nomenklaturen der Anatomen. Anat Anz 150:11–43
Henle FGJ (1855–1871) Handbuch der systematischen Anatomie des Menschen. 3 volumes in 7 parts. F. Vieweg u. Sohn, Braunschweig, p 2655
Hyrtl J (1880) Onomatologia anatomica. Geschichte und Kritik der anatomischen Sprache der Gegenwart mit besonderer Berücksichtigung ihrer Barbarismen, Widersinnigkeiten, Tropfen und grammatikalischen Fehler. Wilhelm Braumüller, Wien, p 626
Ivanova A, Holomanova A (2001) Anatomic nomenclature by Vesalius. Bratisl Lek Listy 102:169–173
Kachlik D, Cech P (2004) Ceske anatomicke nazvoslovi (Czech anatomical terminology) [on-line]. Charles University in Prague, Third Faculty of Medicine, Department of Anatomy, Prague. http://www.anatomickenazvoslovi.cz
Mareckova E, Simon F, Cerveny L (2001) On the new anatomical terminology. Ann Anat 183:201–207
Moore KL (1988) Anatomical terminology/clinical terminology. Clin Anat 1:7–13
Nomina anatomica (1961) 2nd edn. Excerpta Medica, Amsterdam, p 99
Nomina anatomica (1966) 3rd edn. Excerpta Medica, Amsterdam, p 112
Nomina anatomica (1977) 4th edn. Excerpta Medica, Amsterdam, p 200
Nomina anatomica (1983) 5th edn. Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, p 196
Nomina anatomica (1989) 6th edn. Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh, p 211
O´Rahilly R (1989) Anatomical terminology, then and now. Acta Anat 134:291–300
Rosse C (2001) Terminologia anatomica. Considered from the perspective of next-generation knowledge sources. Clin Anat 14:120–133
Sakai T (2007) Historical evolution of anatomical terminology from ancient to modern. Anat Sci Int 82:65–81
Sylvius J (1555) In hippocratis et galeni physiologiae partem anatomicam isagoge. Ioannem Hulpeau, Paris, p 189
Vesalius A (1543) De humani corporis fabrica libri septem. Ex officina Joannis Oporini, Basileae, [xii], 659, p 37
Wendell-Smith CP (1997) Fascia: an illustrative problem in international terminology. Surg Radiol Anat 19:273–277
Whitmore I (1999) Terminologia anatomica: new terminology for the new anatomist. Anat Rec 257:50–53
Zoske H (1951) Die osteologie Vesals: untersuchungen zur Geschichte der anatomichen Nomenklatur. Schmorl & von Seefeld, Hannover, p 156
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kachlik, D., Baca, V., Bozdechova, I. et al. Anatomical terminology and nomenclature: past, present and highlights. Surg Radiol Anat 30, 459–466 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-008-0357-y
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-008-0357-y