Clinical Anatomy 00:000000 (2012)

A GLIMPSE OF OUR PAST

Jacob B. Winslow (16691760)

SHARATH S. BELLARY,1 ANDREW WALTERS,1 JERZY GIELECKI,2 MOHAMMADALI M. SHOJA,3 R. SHANE TUBBS,3 AND MARIOS LOUKAS1,2*
1

Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, St Georges University, Grenada, West Indies 2 Department of Anatomy, Varmia and Mazuria University, Olsztyn, Poland 3 Childrens Hospital, Pediatric Neurosurgery, Birmingham, Alabama

Jacob Winslow was a Dutch born, French naturalized anatomist and physician whose contributions to medicine are abundant. His importance to medicine is undisputed. His personal life included a religious crisis that resulted in his estrangement from his family, but afforded him patrons in Paris to continue his work. Following this conversion, he changed his name to that of his catechist and was rechristened Jacques Benigne Wilson. His respect as an expert was well deserved, and he held several prominent positions during his career in Paris. His main work, Exposition anatomique de la structure du corps humain, was published in 1732 and is considered the rst purely anatomical treatise. This review highlights his contributions to anatomy and medicine through the course of his career. Clin. Anat. 00 :000000, 2012. V 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Key words: Jacob Winslow; Jacgues Benigne Wilson; foramen of Winslow; omental foramen; cranial nerves

INTRODUCTION
Jacob Winslow, also known as Jacques-Benigne Winslow, was a Danish anatomist born 2 April 1669 in Odense, Denmark (Fig. 1). His actual surname was Mansen, but his father and grandfather adopted the name Winslow, referring to the village of Scanie (Winsloe) where his grandfather had lived (Garraud, 1955; Snorrason, 1969; Olry, 1996). Both his father and grandfather were Protestant ministers, and Winslows original ambition was to follow in their footsteps. Fortunately for the eld of medicine, while in theology school, Winslow frequently had spirited discussions with a medical student he had befriended. Eventually, each convinced the other of the merits of his eld; Winslow decided to study medicine and his friend opted for theology (Olry, 1996). The name of this friend has been lost in time, but we owe one of the most famous anatomists of the eighteenth century to this anonymous theologian. Winslow rst studied in Demark under Johannes de Buchwald (16581738) and concentrated on anatomy, since surgery and the sight of blood disturbed him. Afterwards, he was able to travel to Holland where he studied under the direction of the renowned Friedrich Ruysch (16381721). EventuC V 2012

ally, however, Winslow traveled to Paris and became the protege of Joseph Guichard Duverney (1648 1730) at the Jardin du Roy. Winslow and his family were Lutheran, and this allowed him nancial aid for his studies not only from his family, but also from the Danish Crown. However, he became acquainted with the famous bishop of Meaux, Jacques Benigne Bossuet (16271704), and following the tradition of his great uncle Nicolas Steno (16381686), renounced the Lutheran faith for Catholicism on October 8, 1699 at the age of thirty (Snorrason, 1969; Olry, 1996). Due to his conversion, he fell out of favor with the Danish King and with his own family. He lost his scholarship and his family disowned him. From then forward, however, Winslow received contributions from Catholic patrons and never saw it t to return to Denmark. His career was prolic and his professional achievements were numerous.

*Correspondence to: Marios Loukas, Department of Anatomical Sciences, St. Georges University, School of Medicine, Grenada, West Indies. E-mail: mloukas@sgu.edu Received 31 August 2011; Revised 11 November 2011; Accepted 3 January 2012 Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/ca.22033

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Bellary et al. anteriorly to reduce bleeding. Also, the inferior vena cava forms the posterior border of this foramen and is useful in hemodynamic stabilization during surgical procedures of this area. In 1732, during his tenure at the Jardin du Roy, Winslow published one of the very rst descriptions of cranial anatomy and also coined the term nervus sympathicus (Blair, 1932; Winslow, 1758; Snorrason, 1969). In addition, 1732 marked the rst publication of his seminal work, Exposition anatomique de la structure du corps humain (Fig. 2). This exposition of the human body was distinguished as being the rst anatomical treatise of descriptive anatomy, divorced from physiological details and hypothetical explanations beyond the ordinary scope of an anatomy text (Winslow, 1754; Snorrason, 1969). In it, he described 10 cranial nerves (nerves of the medulla oblongata), one of which was actually the rst cervical spinal nerve. Much of the terminology he proposed is still used today, including that for the olfactory, optic, trochlear, trigeminal, auditory, and hypoglossal nerves (Olry, 1996). Additionally, even though some of the

Fig. 1. Jacob B. Winslow (16691760) (Figure from: Hansen P [1886] Illustreret Dansk Litteraturhistorie, Bind 2, Copenhagen: P.G. Philipsen.) [Color gure can be viewed in the online issue, which is available at wileyonlinelibrary.com.]

He received his doctor of medicine in Paris on 15 March 1703 and was admitted to the Academie des Sciences in 1707. Winslow maintained a busy practice and was appointed as a physician at the Hospital General at Bicetre in 1709. In 1721, he assumed Duverneys duties at the Jardin du Roy and he succeeded Francois Joseph Hunault (17011742) as the chair of anatomy of the Jardin du Roy after Hunaults death (Maar, 1932; Meisen, 1932; Pagel, 1962; Snorrason, 1969; Olry, 1996). Winslows contributions to the science of anatomy are profuse. From 1711 to 1743 he published nearly 30 treatises on a variety of subjects. In these he described the course of various muscles and showed that muscles do not work independently, but rather synergistically with appropriate antagonistic groups (Ehrencron-Muller, 1932; Meisen, 1932; Winslow, 1754). In 1715, he described the aperture (foramen) between the greater and lesser sacs of the peritoneal cavity, which now bears his name. This foramen is the surgical landmark for the Pringle maneuver, in which a surgeon can compress the portal triad

Fig. 2. Title page of Winslows premier work, Exposition anatomique de la structure du corps humain (Winslow, 1732).

Jacob B. Winslow current nomenclature differs from the terminology developed by Winslow, his denitions and descriptions of other neural structures were functionally accurate. These included descriptions of the oculomotor nerve, the sympathetic trunk, the superior, middle, and inferior cervical ganglia, and the rst thoracic ganglion. His other anatomical contributions described the structure, relationships, and development of the heart and muscular system, as well as studies in osteology and teratology. Winslow held his post at the Jardin du Roy until forced to retire due to extreme deafness (Olry, 1996; Meisen, 1932). Winslow also believed the methods of determining death were unreliable, and as such, the risk of being buried alive was common. He went on to write a compendium of cases alleging premature burial, which may not have been scientically rigorous (Cooper, 1746). In his thesis, he called for burial to be delayed until signs of putrefaction became obvious. Because of Winslows respect as an expert in medicine, a real fear of premature burial grew and delayed internment became widely practiced. Winslow remained in Paris for the remainder of his life despite being invited to return to Demark on several occasions. He held great esteem as an anatomist and his contributions to medicine are abundant. Winslow died in Paris on 3 April 1760, and is buried on the grounds of the church St. Benoit (Olry, 1996). It is the contributions of such pioneers on which we base our current anatomical knowledge.

REFERENCES
Blair DM. 1932. Winslow and sympathetic system. Br Med J 2:12001201. Cooper M. 1746. The uncertainty of the signs of death, and the danger of precipitate internments and dissections by JacquesBenigne Winslow. London: George Faulkner. p 175219. Ehrencron-Muller H. 1932. Forfatterlexikon. IX. Copenhagen: Aschehoug. Garraud RM. 1955. Un artisan de lamitie franco-dasnoise: JaquesBenigne Winslow. Anatomiste danois. Professeur au Jardin du Roy de France. Presse Med 76:15891590. Hansen P. 1886. Illustreret Dansk Litteraturhistorie bind 2. Copenhagen: P.G. Philipsen. Maar V. 1932. Lidt om J.-B. Winslow. Festskrift til Julius Petersen. Copenhagen: Prominent Danish Scientists. p 5360. Maar V. 1912. LAutobiographie de J.B. Winslow. Paris-Copenhagen. Meisen V. 1932. Prominent Danish Scientists. Copenhagen: Levin & Munksgaard. p 5355. Olry R. 1996. Winslows contribution to our understanding of the cervical portion of the sympathetic nervous system. J Hist Neurosci 5:190196. Pagel J. 1929. Winslow, Jakob Benignus. In: August Hirsch. 2nd Ed. Berlin: Urban & Schwarzenberg. p 18841888. Snorrason E. 1969. Anatomen J.B. Winslow 16691760. Copenhagen: Nyt Nordisk Forlag. Winslow JB. 1732. Exposition anatomique de la structure du corps humain. Paris: Desprez & Desessartz. Winslow JB. 1754. Exposition anatomique de la structure du corps humain. Paris: De lAcademie Royale des Sciences de Paris. Winslow JB. 1758. Anatomica structure corporis humani tomus secundus. Paris: Acad Reg Gall Scient Aliarumque Socii. p 107 112.