The emergence of modern muscle names: the contribution to the foundation of systematic terminology of Vesalius, Sylvius, and Bauhin

What is a vulva?

What exactly is a vulva? The question remains unresolved. Some sources consider the clitoris, labia, mons pubis, perineum, or vagina to be components of the vulva, while other sources do not. Indeed, disagreement exists among international anatomical and clinical societies with regard to what precise structures form the human vulva. The obfuscation regarding the anatomy of the vulva and, likewise, inconsistencies in vulva-related anatomical terminology have adversely affected communication, research, and healthcare. Therefore, this review was undertaken to provide a comprehensive and critical analysis regarding the past, present, and potential future of vulvar anatomy and vulva-related anatomical terminology. The review reveals that confusion regarding the specific gross anatomical structures that form the vulva has persisted for thousands of years. The review provides novel information regarding the etymology of vulva, contributes important historical context regarding vulva, and gives details regarding related anatomical terminology including clitoris, hymen, labia majora, labia minora, mons pubis, pudendum, pudendum femininum/muliebre, uterus, vagina, et cetera. The review highlights disagreement regarding what specific structures comprise a vulva, identifies sexual bias in anatomical terminology and among noteworthy anatomical resources, and offers novel perspectives regarding anatomical terminology-especially anatomical terminology that relates to the external genitalia. What specific anatomical structures comprise the vulva? This review provides a comprehensive and critical analysis regarding the past, present, and potential future of vulvar anatomy and vulva-related anatomical terminology.

Fabrici and the functional power of the image

Hieronymus Fabricius ab Acquapendente, famous anatomist of the medical school of Padua, Italy, marked a further step not only in the morphological studies, but also in anatomical illustration and physiology. His researches were inspired by the work of Aristotle which was focused on the understanding of biological "functions" in an anatomo-comparative way. The anatomo-comparative approach of Fabrici allowed him to discover several specific features of human anatomy. His focusing on function marked the transition from a descriptive to a functional anatomy, paving the way to the birth of human physiology in the following century. To enhance the teaching and learning of anatomy, Fabrici realized the importance of the "dimension" and "color" of anatomical illustrations and introduced for first full-scale and colour painted plates. In this way, the images were closer to representing "living" parts, than previous black & white and low scale images. Moreover, Fabrici was the first to create an "anatomo-phisiological" image, namely the one representing the valves in the veins. His work was a fundamental inspiration for his students, in particular Gaspard Bauhin and William Harvey.