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Until the mid-nineteenth century, "physiology" was a comprehensive theory of life, expounded and shaped by Johannes P. Müller (1801-1858). Biologists and medical doctors still refer to him today. In the summer term of 1851, Müller gave a lecture on the Comparative Anatomy of animals. This lecture was attended and recorded by Ernst Zeller (1830-1902), a future physician and zoologist, and has recently been published together with a German transcript. In this paper, we situate Johannes Müller within the intellectual history of his time. Through his "empirical idealism," we show how he opposed the speculative tendencies of the romantic understanding of nature, the emerging evolutionism, and the growing splits in the natural sciences. Müller focused on recognizing living nature as a whole and realizing ideal "phenomena" through his empirical research. He considered the notion of the soul of the world. Müller's lecture transcript serves as a poignant testament to German scientific culture in the mid-nineteenth century, a few years before the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species. It also provides valuable insights into the self-contained epistemological foundations of morphology., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This paper investigates conceptions of explanation, teleology, and analogy in the works of Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) and Georges Cuvier (1769-1832). Richards (2000, 2002) and Zammito (2006, 2012, 2018) have argued that Kant's philosophy provided an obstacle for the project of establishing biology as a proper science around 1800. By contrast, Russell (1916), Outram (1986), and Huneman (2006, 2008) have argued, similar to suggestions from Lenoir (1989), that Kant's philosophy influenced the influential naturalist Georges Cuvier. In this article, I wish to expand on and further the work of Russell, Outram, and Huneman by adopting a novel perspective on Cuvier and considering (a) the similar conceptions of proper science and explanation of Kant and Cuvier, and (b) the similar conceptions of the role of teleology and analogy in the works of Kant and Cuvier. The similarities between Kant and Cuvier show, contrary to the interpretation of Richards and Zammito, that some of Kant's philosophical ideas, whether they derived from him or not, were fruitfully applied by some life scientists who wished to transform life sciences into proper sciences around 1800. However, I also show that Cuvier, in contrast to Kant, had a workable strategy for transforming the life sciences into proper sciences, and that he departed from Kant's philosophy of science in crucial respects., (Copyright © 2024 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The contribution of Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1772-1844) to evolutionary biology is reviewed in commemoration of his 250th birthday. Geoffroy's views on saltational changes during embryogenesis of animals characterize him as a predecessor of the epigenetic concept of evolution, which is now developing in the frames of the extended evolutionary synthesis or evo-devo. While Lamarck distinguished between the two modes of evolution, one within the same level of organization and the other characterized by the transition to a more complex organization, Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire attempted to explain the second mode by the changes in embryogenesis triggered by environmental influences. In this regard, he placed the phenomenon of complexification in the centre of the evolutionary context. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire can be considered also as an early predecessor of the cell theory. His ideas about the unique plan of structure for animal species and of the fundamental connections that establish the homology of anatomical parts represent an important contribution to the evolutionary concept., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In 1926, the German biologist Johanna (Hanni) Hrabowski published a study of the morphology and development of the fetal placenta in lizards that has proven to be of historical importance. Her anatomical descriptions and interpretations identified developmental patterns that differ from other amniotes -- features now recognized as unique attributes of squamate (lizards and snakes) development. Her 1926 monograph presented the first histological comparison of fetal membranes in closely-related oviparous and viviparous reptiles, thereby establishing a comparative framework for understanding placental specializations for viviparity. Hrabowski reported that yolk sac development did not differ between oviparous and viviparous species. The novel, shared components of yolk sac development she identified are now recognized as the foundation for the unique yolk sac placenta of reptiles, the omphaloplacenta. In addition, Hrabowski's extensive ontogenetic sampling and the detail and accuracy of her anatomical descriptions set high standards for subsequent studies of comparative evolutionary embryology., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors wish to confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest associated with this publication and there has been no significant financial support for this work that could have influenced its outcome. We also confirm that the manuscript has been read and approved by all named authors and that there are no other persons who satisfied the criteria for authorship but are not listed. We further confirm that the order of authors listed in the manuscript has been approved by all of us. We confirm that we have given due consideration to the protection of intellectual property associated with this work and that there are no impediments to publication, including the timing of publication, with respect to intellectual property. In so doing we confirm that we have followed the regulations of our institutions concerning intellectual property. We understand that the Corresponding Author is the sole contact for the Editorial process (including Editorial Manager and direct communications with the office). He/she is responsible for communicating with the other authors about progress, submissions of revisions and final approval of proofs. We confirm that we have provided a current, correct email address which is accessible by the Corresponding Author and which has been configured to accept email from: stewarjr@etsu.edu., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Although Guillain-Barré syndrome was officially described in 1916, other cases had been reported earlier, such as some cases of Landry's paralysis. This year is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Georges Cuvier (1769-1832), one of the fathers of comparative anatomy and palaeontology: he died at age 63 from an unknown disease. By reading medical reports about his last days and hours, we conclude Cuvier died from a severe form of Guillain-Barré syndrome. Moreover, we think this observation could be the first complete report of acute polyradiculoneuropathy with pharyngeal-cervical-brachial onset., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In 1698, a creature with a perplexing mix of human and "ape" features died in London. Brought back to England by merchants who had acquired it during a trading mission to West Africa, it attracted the attention of the Royal Society, and after the death of what we now know was a juvenile chimpanzee, Edward Tyson, a distinguished physician/anatomist, was commissioned to undertake its dissection. Tyson, who was assisted by William Cowper, prepared a detailed written and graphic description of their meticulous dissection, and this forms the major part of his 1699 publication Orang-outang sive Homo sylvestris: or The Anatomy of a Pygmie compared with that of a Monkey, an Ape, and a Man. Tyson records the many ways his "pygmie" resembled, and differed from, modern humans, including acute assessments of its brain and pelvic anatomy. Tyson's monograph is a text-book example of the comparative method. He, and it, deserve more recognition., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Until well in the 19th century, the Aristotelian concept of the scala naturae (ladder of nature) was the most common biological theory among Western scientists. It dictated that only humans possessed a rational soul that provided the ability to reason and reflect. Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (1533-1592) was the first philosopher influential enough to lastingly posit that animals are cognitive creatures. His view stirred a fierce controversy, with René Descartes (1596-1650) leading among his many adversaries. Only after it became accepted that animals and humans alike have cognitive abilities, did the research on the influence of conscious awareness and intention on the behavior of an animal become possible in the 20th century. We found the anatomist Andreas Vesalius (1515-1564) to have already rejected the Aristotelian view on the lack of the rational soul in animals in his 1543 opus magnum De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem. His observation "that there is a difference in size according to the amount of reason that they seem to possess: man's brain is the largest, followed by the ape's, the dog's, and so on, corresponding to the amount of rational force that we deduce each animal to have" resonated some 330 years later when Darwin concluded that "the difference in mind between man and the higher animals, great as it is, certainly is one of degree and not of kind." We conclude that Vesalius was instrumental in breaking with two millenniums of dominance of the concept of lack of animal cognition.

Anatomy, comparative anatomy and embryology are fundamental to taxonomy and evolutionary biology. In the mid-nineteenth century many anatomists and zoologists made major contributions to more than one of these disciplines and a surprising number of them were also histologists. Historical accounts of discoveries and developments in anatomy, and in particular dental histology, rarely consider broader contributions and have tended to be concerned with establishing historical priority about who discovered or described what first. The period 1830 to 1840 saw new developments in light microscopy that enabled studies of histology, cellular pathology and embryology. It also saw a shift away from older ideas such as Naturphilosophie and vitalism towards a more rigorous experimental approach to scientific investigation. Many scientists with diverse research interests were working in parallel on comparative dental histology and were in many cases largely unaware of each other's work. One researcher, Anders Retzius, travelled widely across Europe, corresponded regularly with his scientific colleagues and, probably unbeknownst to himself in his own lifetime, made a lasting contribution to dental histology. Anders Retzius was a clinician, an anatomist, a comparative anatomist, a histologist and latterly an anthropologist. His life and career spanned the whole of this fast-moving period in the history of anatomy and histology., (Copyright 2019 © American Academy of the History of Dentistry.)

During the fifth century BC in ancient Greece during the eve of orthopaedics, the Hippocratic School of Medicine diagnosed a series of congenital limb deformities. Congenital dislocation of the arm, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, tarsotibial joint, apex leg, as well as talipes valgus (clubfoot), congenital clavicle fractures, and thumb malfunction were all discussed by Hippocrates and his followers. Ancient Greek medico-philosophers, fond of a "perfect" human body, proposed an immediate non-interventional approach, while archaic orthotics and specialized footwear were suggested. The Hippocratic methodology was once more re-emerged in the sixteenth century by Ambroise Paré and in the nineteenth century by Wilhelm Roser, becoming since then the main principle for the confrontation of congenital deformities. Various surgeons until nowadays are still being influenced by the Hippocratic doctrine.

The discovery of nearly 180-year-old cranial measurements in the archives of 19th century American physician and naturalist Samuel George Morton can address a lingering debate, begun in the late 20th century by paleontologist and historian of science Stephen Jay Gould, about the unconscious bias alleged in Morton's comparative data of brain size in human racial groups. Analysis of Morton's lost data and the records of his studies does not support Gould's arguments about Morton's biased data collection. However, historical contextualization of Morton with his scientific peers, especially German anatomist Friedrich Tiedemann, suggests that, while Morton's data may have been unbiased, his cranial race science was not. Tiedemann and Morton independently produced similar data about human brain size in different racial groups but analyzed and interpreted their nearly equivalent results in dramatically different ways: Tiedemann using them to argue for equality and the abolition of slavery, and Morton using them to entrench racial divisions and hierarchy. These differences draw attention to the epistemic limitations of data and the pervasive role of bias within the broader historical, social, and cultural context of science., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

The invertebrates, with known exception of echinoderms, are hyponeurian and protostomian. By contrast, echinoderms, chordates and vertebrate are epineurian and deuterostomian. Convinced of the uniqueness origin of all species, Etienne Geoffroy Saint Hilaire (1772-1844), had postulated a complete inversion of body plan to explain this difference. He had to face up to the hostility of the fixist Georges Cuvier (1763-1832). Much later, famous embryologists such as Maurice Caullery still believed that this idea was erroneous. However, the progress of comparative embryology and of developmental biology gradually contributed to validate this idea. Based upon ancient and recent literature review, and re-examination of arthropods (Acanthoscelides obtectus Say), amphibians (Discoglossus), echinoderms (sea urchin) and mammals (rodents) embryos, we can raise up difference and common points of the gastrulation processes. The dorsoventral gradient is ensured by the couple Dpp (dorsal in arthropods)/SOG/chordin (ventral in arthropods), which appears as "inverted" in epineurians. Blastopore invagination occurs in arthopods in the ventral region, opposite to the vitellus mass (initially diffuse, then predominant on the dorsal side), whereas it occurs at the vegetative side in other hyponeurians and epineurians. It has been accepted that the BMP inhibits oral development in protostomian, whereas it activates it in Chordates. Therefore we assume, as Lowe does, that the oral cavity of deuterostomians might constitute a new structure related to the branchial system. The comparative analysis of the blastopore' orientation, the sperm penetration site, and the polarity axes of various embryos species allows to follow the different modifications and to hypothesize their relative chronology during evolution., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background: Miguel Fernández was an Argentinian zoologist who published the first account of obligate polyembryony in armadillos. His contribution is here discussed in relation to his contemporaries, Newman and Patterson, and more recent work., Findings: Fernandez worked on the mulita (Dasypus hybridus). He was able to get early stages before twinning occurred and show it was preceded by inversion of the germ layers. By the primitive streak stage there were separate embryonic shields and partition of the amnion. There was, however, a single exocoelom and all embryos were enclosed in a common set of membranes comprising chorion towards the attachment site in the uterine fundus and inverted yolk sac on the opposite face. He showed that monozygotic twinning did not occur in another armadillo, the peludo (Chaetophractus villosus)., Conclusions: Fernández's work represented a major breakthrough in understanding how twinning occurred in armadillos. His work and that of others is of intrinsic interest to zoologists and has a direct bearing on the origin of monozygotic twins and birth defects in humans., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In 1922, Paul Hecker, a French physician and Head of Anatomy at the Medical College of Strasbourg, published a sentinel thesis on the ligaments of the craniocervical junction based on a study of comparative anatomy. Unfortunately, this dissertation has been lost to history and until now, was unavailable in the English language. Herein, we present a translation of Hecker's work with an update in its nomenclature, which with modern imaging capabilities of the craniocervical junction is germane and timely. Clin. Anat. 30:322-329, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Argument This paper aims to understand the emergence of comparative anatomy in the eighteenth century in the Parisian Académie Royale des Sciences. As early as the 1670s, a program centered on animal anatomy was conceived, which was a first attempt to give some autonomy to studies on animals and to link anatomy with natural history, but it declined after 1690. However, a variety of studies on animals was published in the Mémoires of the Académie during the eighteenth century. We propose a descriptive typology of them in order to explore the status of animals and the significance of anatomy in each type, and to determine, in particular, which elements of Perrault's program were passed on at the Académie throughout the century. We discuss the influence of this legacy on the development of comparative anatomy after 1750, especially in Daubenton's work.

Kazimierz Telesfor Kostanecki (1863-1940) remains one of the most important figures in the history of Polish medicine and natural science. He was the creator of one of the biggest scientific schools on Polish soil, a researcher versatile, working in parallel on many fields of natural science exploration. In his view, anatomy has become a dynamic and comprehensive science, that combines what today belongs to histology, cytology and embryology. Kostanecki has created an universal model of research, referring to comparative methods and based on planned series of experimental studies, especially when it came to issues related to developmental anatomy and mechanics of fertilization. This model was used and developed by his students and followers. It is not surprising, therefore, that the name Kostanecki has been repeatedly reported in the world literature, and a number of phenomena and facts established by him has kept its value, which comes obviouswhen we still can find citations of Polish scholar works in the contemporary monographs and articles.

In this overview, we aim to outline the development of German morphology and comparative anatomy, concentrating on the "Jena school" since it played the crucial role in the growth of these disciplines. We highlight the outstanding role of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in this process and exemplify the ways he exercised influence on theoretical and applied biosciences. Goethe crucially influenced all methodological currents of comparative anatomy, and laid foundations for both theoretical and applied research programmes. The latter included the whole range of biosciences and medical sciences including veterinary medicine. Goethe's idea to concentrate at a single location both fundamental biological research and practical medical and veterinary studies was crucial for the success of the Jena school.

Many evo-devo studies of the turtle's shell draw hypotheses and support from historical sources. The groundbreaking works of Cuvier, Geoffroy St. Hilaire, Carus, Rathke, Owen, and others are being revived in modern research, and their centuries-old understanding of the turtle's shell reconsidered. In the works of these eminent biologists of the 19th century, comparative anatomy and embryology of turtle morphology set the stage for future studies in developmental biology, histology, and paleontology. Given the impact that these works still make on modern research, it is important to develop a thorough appreciation of previous authors, regarding how they arrived at their conclusions (i.e., what counted as evidence?), whether there was debate amongst these authors about shell development (i.e., what counted as an adequate explanation?), and even why these men, some of the most powerful and influential thinkers and anatomists of their day, were concerned with turtles. By tracing and exposing the context and content of turtle shell studies in history, our aim is to inform modern debates about the evolution and development of the turtle's shell., (© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background/purpose: The first description of the pancreas in literature is found in Aristotle's Historia Animalium, but it is modified by "so-called". Therefore, the origin is pursued more extensively., Methods: The Greek-English Lexicon recommends three treatises as a possible original source. These three and Galen's other papers are investigated. In 2005, Sachs et al. suggested an origin of the pancreas might have derived from the intestinal divination using the avian pancreas. This report is evaluated., Results: The avian pancreas which is the intraperitoneal organ, might have been well known by the intestinal divination, and people have called the organ pankreas or kallikreas. Anatomical dissection on human body was not accepted before the Aristotle's time. "So-called pancreas" in Historia must have been interpolated by Theophrastus. He was the most faithful and reliable disciple of Aristotle and succeeded the Aristotle's school. He and Macedonian ruler of Egypt Ptolemy I had known each other and there had been a strong link between them. The contemporary Herophilus performed many public dissections on both human and animal bodies in Alexandria. He named the various parts of the human body and designated the beginning intestine as duodenum. Yet in his extant works, the pancreas is not found. It is surmised that Herophilus may be the first to recognize the human pancreas, which is fixed with retroperitoneal tissue, and he named it "so-called pancreas". Theophrastus might have interpolated Herophilus' designation in Historia Animalium. Galen also uses "so-called pancreas" to designate the human pancreas., Conclusion: Galen's descriptions, that is, "Nature created 'so-called pancreas 'and spread it beneath all vessels" are not generally acceptable but propose the very rare portal vein anomalies. Since the early years of the 20th century, cases with a preduodenal portal vein or a prepancreatic portal vein have been reported. Although the incidence is very rare, its surgical importance is emphasized., (Copyright © 2014 IAP and EPC. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Johann Baptist Ritter von Spix (1781-1826), a German zoologist, was famous in his time and highly honored after making one of the first exploration voyages in the wildest part of Brazil. He was almost forgotten in the annals of history for nearly two centuries after his birth, at which time some enlightened biographers brought him back into prominence in both the biological and zoological fields. On the contrary though, he had never been forgotten in the science of odontostomatology thanks to his discovery of the "Lingula Mandibularis" also known as "Spine of Spix". Johannes Baptist Spix was born in Hoechstadt, Germany in 1781. He was the Conservator of the Museum of Natural History in Munich and was a distinguished Comparative Anatomist. He died Munich inl 1826. The purposes of this work are to present some biographical notes on J.B. Ritter von Spix, to explain whythe "Lingula Mandibularis" has been called by the name of Spix and why this eponym has been used as such.

Daniel John Cunningham was born on 15 April 1850 in Scotland. After his initial schooling at his home town, Crieff, he took up the study of medicine at the University of Edinburgh and passed with honours. He is best known for the excellent series of dissection manuals, namely Cunningham's Dissection Manuals. Apart from this, he also produced many scientific contributions not only in the field of descriptive anatomy but also in comparative anatomy, evolution, anthropology and anthropometry. He was also a very able administrator, not only of medical schools but also in other Governmental departments, scientific journals, zoological gardens and other societies. He was also passionate about animals and gardens. He was a much respected man at both the cities of Edinburgh and Dublin. Above all, he strove for excellence with a human touch and his colleagues remembered him as a great human being. He passed away on 23 June 1909 at his home in Edinburgh.

This paper arises out of my research which I have been conducting in the context of my dissertation project. It explores the relationship between teaching, research and collecting practices in Viennese anatomy during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. In a time in which Viennese medicine tried to reinvent itself through both the creation of a new curriculum and several other institutional measures the practice of establishing comparative and human anatomical collections can be seen as a strategic key field of action. By concentrating on scientific journals, popular texts, catalogues, correspondences and specimens this paper aims at revealing specific social systems which must be understood as parts of the 'social history' of Viennese anatomy. By looking closely at these social aspects of anatomical teaching and research, this work tries to contribute to recent discussions addressed by historians of science and medicine.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was one of the most renowned German poets of the late Age of Enlightenment. However, his engagement went far beyond literature especially relating to politics and natural science. Goethe, primarily trained as a lawyer, developed his own theory of colors and even challenged the concepts of Isaac Newton. His discovery of the human intermaxilary bone questioned all the dogmas of the religious-minded world of the 18th century. Together with the anatomy professor Justus Christian Loder, Goethe performed comparative anatomy and proved the conceptual uniformity of humans and animals on 27 March 1784. Even though, Félix Vicq d'Azyr described the intermaxilary bone simultaneously in Catholic France, Goethe's findings were politically accepted due to the liberal Protestantism of the Duchy of Weimar. Nevertheless, leading anatomists of the century (Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, Petrus Camper and Samuel Thomas v. Soemmerring) mainly rejected Goethe's postulates which led to a delayed publication in 1820; almost 36 years after writing his original manuscript. Today, Goethe's discovery is known to be a fundamental basis for the development of Charles Darwin's theory of phylogenetic evolution. Nowadays, the Department of Anatomy contains the Museum Anatomicum Jenense which was founded by the Duke of Weimar, Carl August and Goethe and entails Goethe's premaxillary bones as its main attraction. The University values the cultural heritage of Goethe's contribution to Medicine and provides access to the collection to the public and generations of medical students. Still today Goethe's legacy is noticeable in the halls of the Alma Mater Jenensis., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Franz von Leydig, a German histologist and zoologist, is known to every student of human or animal anatomy because of the testicular testosterone-producing cells carrying his name. However, he made many contributions to our knowledge of the fine structure of animal tissues, including more than 200 scientific articles and several books. His most important work, the book Lehrbuch der Histologie des Menschen und der Thiere, established him as a pioneer if not the founder of comparative histology. Leydig taught at three different universities (Würzburg, Tübingen and Bonn) and received many honours from scientific organizations worldwide, including the Royal Society. He died in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the town of his birth, aged 86 years.

This essay recapitulates major paths followed by the Russian tradition of what we refer to today as evolutionary developmental biology ("evo-devo"). The article addresses several questions regarding the conceptual history of evolutionary embryological thought in its particularly Russian perspective: (1) the assertion by the St. Petersburg academician Wolff regarding the possible connections between environmental modifications during morphogenesis and the "transformation" of species, (2) the discovery of shared "principles" underlying animal development by von Baer, (3) the experimental expression of Baer's principles by Kowalevsky and Mechnikoff, (4) Severtsov's theory of phylembryogenesis, (5) Filatov's approach to the study of evolution using comparative "developmental mechanics", and (6) Shmalgausen's concept of "stabilizing" selection as an attempt to elucidate the evolution of developmental mechanisms. The focus on comparative evolutionary embryology, which was established by Kowalevsky and Mechnikoff, still continues to be popular in present-day "evo-devo" research in Russia., (© 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

The modern concept of the tree of life originated as a popular, iconic synthesis of the Darwinian evolutionary theory of descent by modification even if Darwin's own trees were hypothetical and abstract. It is generally thought that Ernst Haeckel in 1866 was the first to publish a true evolutionary tree which showed actual taxa. It is apparently forgotten that St. George Mivart beginning in 1865 made significant contributions to the development of evolutionary based trees of life which dealt with primate evolution, including human phylogeny. His trees were built on the most extensive sets of original data published up to that time, and were clearly articulated as working hypotheses. Mivart's trees were surprisingly modern for appearance and for content. Not only are most taxonomic names still in use today, but also many of the issues he raised are still under discussion in current scientific literature. The history of biology and especially that of primatology in the 19th century can benefit from a more thorough knowledge of how the image of the tree was used in scientific writings, especially after Darwin in the context of the theory of evolution by descent from common ancestors. A reappraisal of Mivart's scientific achievements is necessary to better establish the origins and the development not only of evolutionary trees but of modern primatology. The history of primatology, a discipline that is fundamental for investigating the place of humans in nature, would also benefit from a reappraisal of Mivart's role in Victorian biology.

On the bicentennial of Darwin's birth, we describe the origin of the calcar avis and summarize the debate around this structure, which played a central role in the evolution debate in the mid-19th century. We performed a comprehensive review of relevant neuroanatomic literature, bibliographic sources, and 19th century primary sources. Once known as the hippocampus minor, the structure now known as the calcar avis is an involution of the ventricular wall produced by the calcarine fissure. A heated debate raged between 2 prominent scientific theorists, Sir Richard Owen and Thomas Henry Huxley, over the presence of the hippocampus minor in apes versus humans. Owen put forward the lack of an identifiable hippocampus minor in humans as part of an attempt to debunk evolution. A bitter personal and academic rivalry ensued, as Huxley conducted his own dissections to refute Owen's claims. Huxley ultimately dismantled Owen's premises, securing the epithet "Darwin's bulldog" for his defense of the theory of evolution. Thus, this relatively obscure neuroanatomic landmark served as a pivotal point of contention in the most popularized and acrimonious evolutionary debate of the 19th century.

Variation is the principal barrier to progress in unraveling the complexities of biological mechanisms. The resulting slow research progress is well illustrated in the chronology of events in elucidating the mechanism for regression of the corpus luteum (luteolysis) during the equine estrous cycle. Many of the underlying foundations of the female reproductive system in farm animals were developed during the 1930s to 1950s, despite the lack of methods for determining the concentrations of circulating hormones. In the 1960s, a uterine luteolysin was postulated on the basis of several experimental approaches that indicated that the uterus was responsible for luteolysis in several farm and laboratory species. Extensive research in many laboratories led to the acceptance that prostaglandin F(2 alpha) was the uterine luteolysin and could be used for the practical control of the life of the corpus luteum. The mare was a unique research tool in the study of uterine-induced luteolysis. The chronology of progress from 1970 to 2009 in studying the mechanisms of equine luteolysis is outlined and discussed as an example of a lengthy and ongoing struggle with nature to reveal the intricacies of a biological mechanism.

Here I analyze the anatomical thought of the French physician and naturalist Félix Vicq d'Azyr (1748-1794) in order to bring to light its importance in the development of comparative anatomy at the end of the eighteenth century. I argue that his work and career can be understood as an ambitious program for a radical reform of all biomedical sciences and a reorganization of this whole field around comparative anatomy, on the conceptual as well as the institutional level. In particular, he recommended a close connection between anatomical and physiological studies, and a generalization of the comparative approach towards organs and functions in man and animals. This conception led him not only to reform the scope, the methods, the style of description, and the vocabulary in anatomy, but also to construct a new classification of living beings and to pursue a quest for laws of organization. This strategy was successful, since Vicq d'Azyr was able to promote his thought as well as his institutional position efficiently. The Revolution and his untimely death prevented him from achieving his program, but his attempt would serve as an example for younger scientists like Cuvier.

The essay analyzes the influence of evolutionary thought in the work of Sigmund Freud. Based on Freud's initial occupation as a neuro-anatomist and physiologist certain aspects stemming from the history of nature and developmental biological reasoning that played a role in his endeavours to find a new basis for medical psychology will be pointed out. These considerations are to be regarded as prolegomena of the task to reread Freud once again, and in doing so avoiding the verdict that holds his neuro-anatomic and comparative-morphological works as simply "pre-analytic." In fact, the time seems ripe to reconsider in a new context particularly those evolutionary, medical, and cultural-scientific elements in Freud's work that appear inconsistent at first sight. The substantial thesis is that Freud, given the fact that he was trained in comparative anatomy and physiology in the tradition of Johannes Müller, had the capability of synthesizing elements of this new point of view with the findings and interrogations concerning developmental history and the theory of evolution. More over, this was perceived not merely metaphoric, as he himself stressed it (Freud 1999, XIII, 99), but in the sense of Ubertragung, that inscribed terms and methods deriving from the given field into the realm of psychology. The moving force behind this particular Ubertragung came from a dynamically-neurological perception of the soul that emerged in France since 1800, which Freud came to know trough the late work of Charcot.

Grassi's entomological researches go back to his early years of university study, initially being concerned with agriculture pests. After working in Heidelberg, Grassi's interests turned to basic problems of entomology, such as the evolutionary origin of Miriapoda and Insecta, and termite caste determination. His first investigations into medical entomology related to the problem of bird malaria, which he studied only in relation to the hematic parasites. In 1895, Grassi was appointed Professor of Comparative Anatomy at Rome University, and initiated his entomological collaboration with the Roman malariologists, Amico Bignami, Giuseppe Bastianelli and Ettore Marchiafava. At the end of 1898, they announced, at the session of the Accademia dei Lincei on December 4th, that a healthy man in a non-malarial zone had contracted tertian malaria after being bitten by an experimentally infected Anopheles claviger. Following his disappointment at being excluded from the Nobel prize, Grassi devoted his attention to another important insect related to the transmission of parasitic disease, the sand fly, Phlebotomus papatasii. After World War I malaria had flared up with renewed vigour, so that the social importance of the disease convinced Grassi to resume his studies in 1918. The problem he faced in these years was "Anophelism without malaria" which was to be solved a year after his death by his pupil Falleroni, who demonstrated that there are six cryptic species of Anopheles of which only four bite humans and transmit malaria. Battista Grassi died on 4 May 1925, working to the end: he was reading the proofs of his last paper, Lezione sulla malaria.

Johann H.L. Flögel (1834-1918) was an amateur scientist and self-taught microscopist in Germany who 130years ago pioneered comparative arthropod neuroanatomy. He was fascinated by innovations in optical instrumentation, and his meticulous studies of the insect supraoesophageal ganglia were the first to use serial sections and photomicrographs to characterize the architecture of circumscribed regions of brain tissue. Flögel recognized the interpretative power resulting from observations across various species, and his comparative study of 1878, in particular, provided a baseline for subsequent workers to evolve a secure nomenclature of insect brain structures. His contributions stand out from contemporary accounts by virtue of their disciplined descriptions and emphasis on identifying comparable elements in different taxa. Here we give a biographical sketch of his life and summarize his remarkable achievements.

The article presents data related to outstanding German scientist, morphologist, physiologist Ioganne Muller. His role the development of modern physiology, comparative anatomy and embryology is considered.

A panel illustrating spinal cord injury in The Dying Lioness in the British Museum dates to 650 BC. This paper outlines the subsequent progression of knowledge of the anatomy of the spinal cord. The animal dissections of Galen are considered because his deductions persisted through the Dark Ages until the late 18th century. Anatomy advanced gradually to yield discoveries of the complex tracts and grey matter elements of the cord and their functions. Amongst many distinguished exponents, the works of Blasius, Huber, Vicq d'Azyr and Stilling are emphasised., ((c) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel)

Immediately after becoming interested in animal magnetism, and undoubtedly as a result of this interest, E.T.A. Hoffmann used automata as the central characters in some of his most notable works. This paper aims to show how this interest reveals the author's critical attitude towards a conception of the human being which, developing in parallel to anatomy-based medicine, had led in the eighteenth century to a doctrine whose most complete expression is to be found in "L'homme machine," by J.O. De La Mettrie. Nowadays we can see these tales, like those dedicated to animal magnetism, as a cry of alarm against one of the consequences of such a mechanical conception of a human being: the growth of "biopower," or of "biopolitics," terms coined by Foucault in his last works; but also against the risks entailed by the Promethean drive of modernity.