Biomaterial Database

[Historical notes on the lymphatic vascular system]. 1990

G Azzali

Institut d'Anatomie humaine normale de l'Université de Parme.

The history of the progress in the knowledge of the lymphatic system can be divided in three main periods. The first one spans Egyptian. Greek and Roman civilizations until III century after Christ: the earliest topographical reports on collectors, major trunks and regional groups of lymph nodes date back to this age. The second period begins with Renaissance and extends until the end of XIX century. The scientific knowledge is no longer accepted as a collection of "unquestionable truths" but rather new discoveries are confirmed by painstaking descriptions and detailed pictures. We owe to Aselli (1622) the scientific description of lacteals. The new techniques of maceration (Malpighi, 1628) and of injection of different substances (water, air, mercury, cinnabar) allowed a strict check of the acquired knowledge and an accurate description of the superficial and deep lymphatic networks in different organs (kidney, heart). The documentation of the vascular lymphatic system culminates in the matchless work "Vasorum Lymphaticorum Corporis Humani..." by Paolo Mascagni (1755-1815) which Susini (1773-1814) immortalized in ceroplastic statues. The third phase covers the XX century. The studies deepen with the demonstration of lymphatic capillaries, endothelial cells. Macro- and microtopographical relationships between lymphatic and blood networks are described in detail and lymphatic vessels are studied at microscopic level. In the last decades ultrastructural and immunocytochemical researches develop in order to investigate the processes involved in lymph genesis and transendothelial transport of fluids, macromolecules and cells.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007558	Italy	A country in southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia. The capital is Rome.	Sardinia
D008208	Lymphatic System	A system of organs and tissues that process and transport immune cells and LYMPH.	Lymphatic Systems
D005060	Europe	The continent north of AFRICA, west of ASIA and east of the ATLANTIC OCEAN.	Northern Europe,Southern Europe,Western Europe
D006115	Greece	A country in southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey. The capital is Athens.	Crete,Macedonia (Greece)
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000715	Anatomy	A branch of biology dealing with the structure of organisms.	Anatomies
D012384	Rome	The capital city of Italy.
D049669	History, 16th Century	Time period from 1501 through 1600 of the common era.	16th Century History,16th Cent. History (Medicine),16th Cent. History of Medicine,16th Cent. Medicine,Historical Events, 16th Century,History of Medicine, 16th Cent.,History, Sixteenth Century,Medical History, 16th Cent.,Medicine, 16th Cent.,16th Cent. Histories (Medicine),16th Century Histories,Cent. Histories, 16th (Medicine),Cent. History, 16th (Medicine),Century Histories, 16th,Century Histories, Sixteenth,Century History, 16th,Century History, Sixteenth,Histories, 16th Cent. (Medicine),Histories, 16th Century,Histories, Sixteenth Century,History, 16th Cent. (Medicine),Sixteenth Century Histories,Sixteenth Century History
D049670	History, 17th Century	Time period from 1601 through 1700 of the common era.	17th Century History,17th Cent. History (Medicine),17th Cent. History of Medicine,17th Cent. Medicine,Historical Events, 17th Century,History of Medicine, 17th Cent.,History, Seventeenth Century,Medical History, 17th Cent.,Medicine, 17th Cent.,17th Cent. Histories (Medicine),17th Century Histories,Cent. Histories, 17th (Medicine),Century Histories, Seventeenth,Century History, 17th,Century History, Seventeenth,Histories, 17th Cent. (Medicine),Histories, 17th Century,Histories, Seventeenth Century,History, 17th Cent. (Medicine),Seventeenth Century Histories,Seventeenth Century History
D049671	History, 18th Century	Time period from 1701 through 1800 of the common era.	18th Century History,18th Cent. History (Medicine),18th Cent. History of Medicine,18th Cent. Medicine,Historical Events, 18th Century,History of Medicine, 18th Cent.,History, Eighteenth Century,Medical History, 18th Cent.,Medicine, 18th Cent.,18th Century Histories,Cent. History, 18th (Medicine),Cent. Medicine, 18th,Century Histories, 18th,Century Histories, Eighteenth,Century History, 18th,Century History, Eighteenth,Eighteenth Century Histories,Eighteenth Century History,Histories, 18th Century,Histories, Eighteenth Century,History, 18th Cent. (Medicine)