Biomaterial Database

Cranial Nerve Nomenclature: Historical Vignette. 2019

Angela Li Ching Ng, and Jeffrey V Rosenfeld, and Antonio Di Ieva

Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Neurosurgery Unit, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

The nomenclature of the 12 cranial nerves as we know it today was developed over a series of anatomic findings by some of history's most famous anatomists from Galen to Von Soemmerring. In this paper, we review the literature to present an overview of the remarkable historical journey that brought our forefathers to trace the pathway of individual cranial nerves from origin to destination. In particular, we discuss the evolution of the naming of the cranial nerves and highlight relevant eponymous descriptions. We also include some poignant illustrations of cranial nerves by ancient anatomists that set the scene to their discoveries. In reviewing this legacy, we summarize the important product of centuries of discoveries and investigations and the limitations of cranial nerve classification systems.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009462	Neurology	A medical specialty concerned with the study of the structures, functions, and diseases of the nervous system.
D009626	Terminology as Topic	Works about the terms, expressions, designations, or symbols used in a particular science, discipline, or specialized subject area.	Etymology,Nomenclature as Topic,Etymologies
D003391	Cranial Nerves	Twelve pairs of nerves that carry general afferent, visceral afferent, special afferent, somatic efferent, and autonomic efferent fibers.	Cranial Nerve,Nerve, Cranial,Nerves, Cranial
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D049668	History, 15th Century	Time period from 1401 through 1500 of the common era.	15th Century History,15th Cent. History (Medicine),15th Cent. History of Medicine,15th Cent. Medicine,Historical Events, 15th Century,History of Medicine, 15th Cent.,History, Fifteenth Century,Medical History, 15th Cent.,Medicine, 15th Cent.,15th Cent. Histories (Medicine),15th Century Histories,Cent. Histories, 15th (Medicine),Cent. History, 15th (Medicine),Century Histories, 15th,Century Histories, Fifteenth,Century History, 15th,Century History, Fifteenth,Fifteenth Century Histories,Fifteenth Century History,Histories, 15th Cent. (Medicine),Histories, 15th Century,Histories, Fifteenth Century,History, 15th Cent. (Medicine)
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)
D049690	History, Ancient	The period of history before 500 of the common era.	Ancient History,Ancient History (Medicine),Ancient History of Medicine,History of Medicine, Ancient,Medicine, Ancient History,Ancient Histories (Medicine),Ancient History Medicine,Ancient History Medicines,Histories, Ancient (Medicine),History Medicine, Ancient,History Medicines, Ancient,History, Ancient (Medicine),Medicine Ancient History,Medicines, Ancient History