Skip to main content
Log in

A note on the sea-horse in the human brain

  • Published:
Translational Neuroscience

Abstract

It is commonly believed that the term hippocampus represents a shining example of inappropriate and fanciful anatomical naming, because this brain structure supposedly does not display any resemblance, striking or remote, to the little sea-horse fish known as hippocampus. The aim of this short historical notice is to demonstrate that, in fact, the hippocampus looks very much like the little sea-horse fish, as demonstrated by Gustav Retzius more than a century ago. However, to note this striking resemblance, one has to apply a proper method of anatomical dissection.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Burdach KF (1822) Vom Baue und Leben des Gehirns, Zweyter Band. Leipzig: Dyk’sche Buchhandlung, 418pp + 7 copper plates.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Honegger J (1890) Vergleichend-anatomische Untersuchungen über den Fornix und die mit ihm in Beziehung stehenden Gebilde. Rec Zool Suisse 5:201–434.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Hill A (1893) The Hippocampus. Philos Trans Roy Soc Lond B 184:389–429.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Lewis FT (1923) The significance of the term hippocampus. J Comp Neurol 35:213–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Tilney F (1939) The hippocampus and its relations to the corpus callosum. J Nerv Ment Dis 89:433–513. (Reprinted from Bulletin of the Neurological Institute of New York, Vol. VII, No. 1, March, 1938., pp. 1–77).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Meyer A (1971) Historical Aspects of Cerebral Anatomy. London — New York — Toronto: Oxford University Press, 230pp.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Sano K (1997) Special Lecture: Hippocampus and epilepsy surgery. Epilepsia 38(Suppl. 6):4–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Schiller F (1997) A memoir of olfaction. J Hist Neurosci 6(2):133–146.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Swanson LW (1999) Camillo Golgi on the structure of the hippocampus. J Hist Neurosci 8(2):164–169.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Pearce JMS (2001) Ammon’s horn and the hippocampus. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiat 71(3):351.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Bentivoglio M, Swanson LW (2001) On the fine structure of the pes hippocampi major (with plates XIII–XXIII, 1886. Brain Res Bull 54(5):461–483.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Walther C (2002) Hippocampal terminology: concepts, misconceptions, origins. Endeavour 26(2):41–44.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. El Falougy H, Benuska J (2006) History, anatomical nomenclature, comparative anatomy and functions of the hippocampal formation. Bratisl Lek Listy 107(4):103–106.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Hyrtl J (1880) Onomatologia anatomica. Wien: Braumüller.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Gurunluoglu R, Gurunluoglu A (2008) Giulio Cesare Arantius (1530–1589): A surgeon and anatomist: His role in nasal reconstruction and influence on Gaspare Tagliacozzi. Annals of Plastic Surgery 60(6):717–722.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Arantius JC (1587) De humano foetu liber tertio editus, ac recognitus. Anatomicarum observationum liber, ac de tumoribus secundum locos affectos liber. Venetiis: Apud Iacobum Brechtanum.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Arantius JC (1564a) Iulii Caes. Arantii… De humano foetu libellus. Bononiae, ex officina Ioannis Rubrii ad insigne Mercurii (in octavo).

  18. Arantius JC (1564b) De humano foetu opusculum. Romae.

  19. Arantius JC (1571) De humano foetu libellus. Venetiis (in octavo and in quarto)

  20. Arantius JC (1579a) De humano foetu libellus. Basileae, apud Seb. Petri (in octavo).

  21. Arantius JC (1579b) Observationes anatomicae. Basileae.

  22. Retzius G (1896) Das Menschenhirn — Studien in der makroskopischen Morphologie. Text und Atlas. Stockholm: Königliche Buchdruckerei P. A. Norstedt & Söner.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Vicq d’Azyr F (1786a) Traité d’Anatomie et de Physiologie, avec des Planches coloriées Représentant au naturel les divers organes de l’Homme et des Animaux. Tome premier. Paris: L’Imprimerie de Franc. Amb. Didot l’Ainé.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Vicq d’Azyr F (1786b) Planches Anatomiques avec des Explications tres Détaillées; Premiere Partie, Organes contenus dans la Boete osseuse du Crane. Cerveau de l’Homme (Planches I–XXXV). Paris: L’Imprimerie de Franc. Amb. Didot l’Ainé.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Miloš Judaš.

About this article

Cite this article

Judaš, M., Pletikos, M. A note on the sea-horse in the human brain. Translat.Neurosci. 1, 335–337 (2010). https://doi.org/10.2478/v10134-010-0041-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/v10134-010-0041-8

Keywords

Navigation