Arráez-Aybar Luis-Alfonso, Navia-Álvarez Pedro, Fuentes-Redondo Talia, Bueno-López José-L
Department of Human Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Madrid Complutense University, Madrid, Spain; Institute of Morphofunctional Sciences, Madrid Complutense University, Madrid, Spain.
J Anat. 2015 Mar;226(3):289-300. doi: 10.1111/joa.12273.
The year 2014 marked the 350th anniversary of the publication in London of Cerebri anatome, a ground-breaking work of neuroscience heavily influenced by the political and cultural context of Baroque Europe and mid-17th century England. This article aims to review the work of the English physician and anatomist Thomas Willis, specifically with regard to the contents of his Cerebri anatome. Willis's academic and professional career was influenced by the turbulent period of the English Civil War during which he studied medicine. Willis went from chemistry to dissection arguably because of his need to justify the body-brain-soul relationship. As a result, he became a fellow of a select club of eminent experimentalists, and afterward was a Fellow of the Royal Society. Later on, he went to London, leaving the academic life to dedicate himself fully to the profession of medicine. As a physician, Willis did not base his practice on aphorisms but on a 'bench to bedside' approach to medicine, while studying neuroanatomy--covering embryology, comparative anatomy and pathological anatomy--as a basis for the comprehension of neurological pathology. He developed innovative anatomical methods for the preservation and dissection of the brain, injection of coloured substances and illustration of his findings. In Cerebri anatome, Willis recognized the cerebral cortex as the substrate of cognition. He also claimed that the painful stimuli came from the meninges, but not from the brain itself. He explained for the first time the pathological and functional meaning of the brain's circular arterial anastomosis, which is named after him. He also specified some features of the cranial origin of the sympathetic nerves and coined the term 'neurologie'. Cerebri anatome marked the transition between the mediaeval and modern notions of brain function, and thus it is considered a cornerstone of clinical and comparative anatomy of the nervous system. The new contributions and methods employed by Willis justify his place as a father of neurology and a pioneer of translational research.
2014年是《脑的解剖学》（Cerebri anatome）在伦敦出版350周年，这是一部具有开创性的神经科学著作，深受巴洛克风格的欧洲和17世纪中叶英国的政治文化背景影响。本文旨在回顾英国医生兼解剖学家托马斯·威利斯（Thomas Willis）的著作，特别是其《脑的解剖学》的内容。威利斯的学术和职业生涯受到英国内战动荡时期的影响，他在内战期间学习医学。威利斯从化学转向解剖学，这可以说是因为他需要论证身体 - 大脑 - 灵魂的关系。结果，他成为了一个杰出实验家精英俱乐部的成员，后来还成为了皇家学会的会员。后来，他前往伦敦，离开学术生活，全身心投入医学职业。作为一名医生，威利斯的临床实践并非基于格言，而是采用“从实验台到病床边”的医学方法，同时研究神经解剖学——涵盖胚胎学、比较解剖学和病理解剖学——作为理解神经病理学的基础。他开发了创新的解剖方法，用于大脑的保存和解剖、注射有色物质以及展示他的发现。在《脑的解剖学》中，威利斯将大脑皮层视为认知的基础。他还声称疼痛刺激来自脑膜，而非大脑本身。他首次解释了以他的名字命名的大脑环状动脉吻合的病理和功能意义。他还明确了交感神经颅部起源的一些特征，并创造了“neurologie”一词。《脑的解剖学》标志着从中世纪到现代脑功能观念的转变，因此被视为神经系统临床和比较解剖学的基石。威利斯所采用的新贡献和方法证明了他作为神经学之父和转化研究先驱的地位。
