Henry Jones Shrapnell (1792–1834) was an English

anatomist Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...

. For a period of time during his career he was a colleague to

Edward Jenner Edward Jenner, (17 May 1749 – 26 January 1823) was a British physician and scientist who pioneered the concept of vaccines, and created the smallpox vaccine, the world's first vaccine. The terms ''vaccine'' and ''vaccination'' are derived f ...

(1749–1823), creator of the

vaccine A vaccine is a biological Dosage form, preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease, infectious or cancer, malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verifie ...

for

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

. Shrapnell is remembered for his pioneer work in

otology Otology is a branch of medicine which studies normal and pathological anatomy and physiology of the ear (hearing and vestibular sensory systems and related structures and functions) as well as their diseases, diagnosis and treatment. Otologic ...

. He was the first to correctly describe the

tympanic membrane In the anatomy of humans and various other tetrapods, the eardrum, also called the tympanic membrane or myringa, is a thin, cone-shaped membrane that separates the external ear from the middle ear. Its function is to transmit sound from the air ...

. He divided the membrane into two parts; the ''pars tensa'' (tense portion) and the ''pars flaccida'' (flaccid portion). In 1832 he published his findings in the London Medical Gazette in an article titled "On the form and structure of the membrana tympani". Today the flaccid portion of the tympanic membrane is known as " Shrapnell's membrane". During the same year, Shrapnell published two other articles in the same journal, these being in regards to the function of the tympanic membrane and the nerves of the

ear An ear is the organ that enables hearing and, in mammals, body balance using the vestibular system. In mammals, the ear is usually described as having three parts—the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear consists of ...

. In 1833, he published an article (again in the same journal) on the

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...

of the

incus The ''incus'' (plural incudes) or anvil is a bone in the middle ear. The anvil-shaped small bone is one of three ossicles in the middle ear. The ''incus'' receives vibrations from the ''malleus'', to which it is connected laterally, and transmit ...

References

Short biography of Henry Jones Shrapnell
(Note that the dates of Shrapnell's publications are given incorrectly in this article.) English anatomists 1792 births 1834 deaths {{UK-med-bio-stub