Pierre Nicolas Gerdy
Encyclopedia
Pierre Nicolas Gerdy was a French physician who was a native of Loches
. He was a professor with the Faculty of Medicine in Paris
, and worked with renowned surgeon
s such as Jacques Lisfranc de St. Martin
(1790–1847), Armand Velpeau
(1795–1867) and Guillaume Dupuytren
(1777–1835). The famed anatomist Paul Broca
(1824–1880) was an assistant to Gerdy for a few years during the 1840s.
Gerdy was known for contributions as a surgeon
, anatomist, pathologist and physiologist. He also worked with artists and sculptors, and in 1829 published Anatomie des formes extérieures du corps humain, appliqué à la peinture, à la sculpture et à la chirurgie, which was a book of anatomy
as it applied to sculpture
, painting
and surgery
. His name is associated with a number of anatomical eponyms, however most of these terms have since been replaced by clinical nomenclature:
Loches
Loches is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France.It is situated southeast of Tours by railway, on the left bank of the Indre River.-History:...
. He was a professor with the Faculty of Medicine in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and worked with renowned surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
s such as Jacques Lisfranc de St. Martin
Jacques Lisfranc de St. Martin
Jacques Lisfranc de St. Martin was a pioneering French surgeon and gynecologist. He pioneered a number of operations including removal of the rectum, lithotomy in women, and amputation of the cervix uteri....
(1790–1847), Armand Velpeau
Alfred-Armand-Louis-Marie Velpeau
Alfred-Armand-Louis-Marie Velpeau was a French anatomist and surgeon.-Biography:A native of Brèches, Indre-et-Loire, he was a student and assistant to Pierre Bretonneau. During his early medical career he was a surgeon in several hospitals in Paris...
(1795–1867) and Guillaume Dupuytren
Guillaume Dupuytren
Guillaume Dupuytren, Baron was a French anatomist and military surgeon. Although he gained much esteem for treating Napoleon Bonaparte's hemorrhoids, he is best known today for Dupuytren's contracture which is named after him and which he described in 1831.- Birth and education :Guillaume...
(1777–1835). The famed anatomist Paul Broca
Paul Broca
Pierre Paul Broca was a French physician, surgeon, anatomist, and anthropologist. He was born in Sainte-Foy-la-Grande, Gironde. He is best known for his research on Broca's area, a region of the frontal lobe that has been named after him. Broca’s Area is responsible for articulated language...
(1824–1880) was an assistant to Gerdy for a few years during the 1840s.
Gerdy was known for contributions as a surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
, anatomist, pathologist and physiologist. He also worked with artists and sculptors, and in 1829 published Anatomie des formes extérieures du corps humain, appliqué à la peinture, à la sculpture et à la chirurgie, which was a book of anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
as it applied to sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
. His name is associated with a number of anatomical eponyms, however most of these terms have since been replaced by clinical nomenclature:
- Gerdy's fibers: Superficial transverse metacarpal ligamentSuperficial transverse metacarpal ligamentThe superficial transverse metacarpal ligament is a ligament of the Intermetacarpal articulations which runs beneath the deep transverse metacarpal ligament. It is a thin band of transverse fasciculi; it stretches across the roots of the four fingers, and is closely attached to the skin of the...
- Gerdy's fontanelle: sagittal fontanelleFontanelleA fontanelle is an anatomical feature on an infant's skull.-Anatomy:Fontanelles are soft spots on a baby's head which, during birth, enable the bony plates of the skull to flex, allowing the child's head to pass through the birth canal. The ossification of the bones of the skull causes the...
- Gerdy's hyoid fossa: Trigonum caroticum
- Gerdy's interatrial loop: A muscular fasciculusMuscle fascicleIn anatomy, a fascicle is a bundle of skeletal muscle fibers surrounded by perimysium, a type of connective tissue.Specialized muscle fibers in the heart that transmit electrical impulses from the Atrioventricular Node to the Purkinje Fibers are fascicles, also referred to as bundle branches...
in the interatrial septumInteratrial septumThe interatrial septum is the wall of tissue that separates the right and left atria of the heart.-Development:The interatrial septum forms during the first and second months of fetal development. Formation of the septum occurs in several stages...
of the heart, passing backward from the atrioventricular groove. - Gerdy's ligament: Suspensory ligamentSuspensory ligamentSuspensory ligament describes any ligament that supports a body part, especially an organ. Types include:* In humans** Suspensory ligament of thyroid gland or Berry's ligament** Suspensory ligament of clitoris...
of axilla - Gerdy's tubercleGerdy's tubercleGerdy's tubercle is a lateral tubercle of the tibia, located where the fascia lata or iliotibial band inserts. It was named after French surgeon Pierre Nicolas Gerdy ....
: lateral tubercle of the tibiaTibiaThe tibia , shinbone, or shankbone is the larger and stronger of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates , and connects the knee with the ankle bones....
(Eponym actively used in medicine today).