History of the development of anatomical nomenclatures
Until the late nineteenth century, medical terms were formed in a completely spontaneous manner, due to which a universal system of designations was completely absent.
The most important breakthrough was the adoption in 1895 in Basel of the first standardized Latin list, named the Basel Nomina Anatomica (BNA). Subsequently, it was revised on multiple occasions.
In 1955, at a congress in Paris, the Paris Nomina Anatomica (PNA) — Parisiensia nomina anatomica — was approved. This was the very first list in the history of medicine to receive official international recognition. It included over six thousand names and was revised approximately every five years.
Modern standard: Terminologia Anatomica
In February 1998, the Federative Committee on Anatomical Terminology (FCAT) approved the current list — Terminologia Anatomica. This document reflects the cutting-edge achievements of science and was the result of a decade of work on revising Latin names and their English equivalents.
In the modern list, all terms are grouped strictly by individual body systems. The pages of the document are visually divided into three columns:
- On the left is the identifying number of the structure.
- In the center is the official Latin term.
- On the right is the modern equivalent in English.
For example, the entry looks like this: `2.2.00.002` — Corpus vertebrae — Vertebral body.
Rules of use and adaptation in Russia
The key rule of the FCAT committee states that the fundamental basis for selecting equivalents in any national languages is exclusively the Latin list. The English list is attached merely for reading convenience, but it does not serve as a basis for translation. Interestingly, in English-speaking countries, many specialists freely use the original Latin names, preferring them to local equivalents.
In the Russian Federation, the adaptation of the nomenclature is controlled by the Standing Subcommittee. In 2003, a trilingual edition of "International Anatomical Terminology" (in Latin, Russian, and English) was published, in which domestic equivalents were carefully refined in accordance with new international editions.
Histological nomenclature
The language of microscopic anatomy developed in parallel. In the late 1960s, Soviet histologists were the first to develop a draft of a unified Latin list of microscopic structures.
This enormous work formed the basis of the International Histological Nomenclature, officially approved in 1970 at the IX International Congress of Anatomists in Leningrad. Today, the current Terminologia Histologica list is also regularly revised and updated.
Examples of constructing multi-word terms
For successful mastery of the anatomical language, it is important to understand the structure of complex Latin names. They are built on the basis of clear grammatical rules of agreement between nouns and adjectives.
Some classic examples of structures with translation:
- Processus articularis inferior — inferior articular process.
- Paries jugularis cavitatis tympanicae — jugular wall of tympanic cavity.
- Musculus extensor carpi radialis brevis — short radial extensor muscle of wrist.
- Chiasma tendinum — tendinous chiasm.
- Tunica muscularis intestini tenuis — muscular coat of small intestine.
- Apex vesicae urinariae — apex of urinary bladder.
- Incisura cardiaca pulmonis sinistri — cardiac notch of left lung.
- Vaginae fibrosae digitorum pedis — fibrous sheaths of digits of foot.
- Ostium venae cavae inferioris atrii dextri — orifice of inferior vena cava of right atrium.
Briefly: answers to topical questions
Which international anatomical nomenclatures historically preceded the modern Terminologia Anatomica?
Modern Terminologia Anatomica was historically preceded by the Basel and Paris Nomina Anatomica.
- Basel Nomina Anatomica (BNA) — developed in 1895 in Basel; a list of Latin anatomical terms was proposed for the first time.
- Paris Nomina Anatomica (PNA) — adopted in 1955 in Paris; received official international recognition. Its Latin name is Parisiensia nomina anatomica (later — Nomina anatomica).
The Jena Nomina Anatomica is also mentioned in the materials.
What rules of grammatical agreement are applied in the Latin term "Tunica muscularis intestini tenuis"?
In the Latin term Tunica muscularis intestini tenuis, the rules of agreement and government are applied.
- Agreement — the dependent adjective conforms to the head noun in gender, number, and case. The adjective muscularis agrees with tunica, and tenuis with intestini.
- Government — the dependent noun acts as a non-concordant attribute and is put in the genitive case. The noun intestinum takes the form intestini (Genitivus singularis) and does not change when the head word is declined.
What types of attributes exist when constructing multi-word anatomical terms in Latin?
When constructing multi-word anatomical terms in Latin, concordant and non-concordant attributes exist.
- Concordant attribute — expressed by an adjective placed after the noun. It grammatically conforms to the head word in gender, number, and case.
- Non-concordant attribute — expressed by a dependent noun. It is formed by government and is strictly placed in the genitive case (Genitivus), remaining unchanged when the head word is declined.
In complex terms, non-concordant attributes may have their own concordant attributes.
Class and exam questions
What is the main difference between the Paris Nomina Anatomica and the modern Terminologia Anatomica?
The Paris Nomina Anatomica (PNA) of 1955 became the first official international standard. The modern Terminologia Anatomica, approved in 1998, is the result of a thorough ten-year revision of the PNA and contains updated data along with English equivalents.
Why are English terms listed in the international register if Latin is the basis?
English equivalents are added solely for reading convenience in an international environment. However, the FCAT committee emphasizes that they cannot serve as a basis for creating terms in other languages.
Who pioneered the creation of the international histological nomenclature?
The first systematized list of terms in histology in Latin was proposed by Soviet scientists in the late 1960s and approved at a congress in Leningrad.
What else to study on this topic
- Grammatical analysis of complex multi-word anatomical terms.
- Determination of declinations and genders of nouns in Latin nomenclature.
- Rules of adjective-noun agreement in terms.
- Features of translating names of muscles, ligaments, and membranes into Russian.
Master the entire topic in the "Latin Language" course
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Other topics in the section "Fundamentals of medical terminology"
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