Jacob Benignus Winsløw, also known as Jacques-Bénigne Winslow (17 April 1669 – 3 April 1760), was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

-born French

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 ...

Life

Winsløw was born in

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (behind Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2022, the city proper had a population of 180,863 while Odense Municipality had a population of 20 ...

, Denmark. Later he became a pupil and successor of

Guichard Joseph Duverney Joseph Guichard Duverney or Joseph-Guichard Du Verney (5 August 1648 – 10 September 1730) was a French anatomist known for his work in comparative anatomy and for his treatise on the ear. The fracture of the iliac wing of the pelvis is some ...

, as well as a convert to

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, naturalized in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and finally became professor of anatomy at the Jardin du Roi in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. He greatly admired Bishop

Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet Jacques-Bénigne Lignel Bossuet (; 27 September 1627 – 12 April 1704) was a French bishop and theologian, renowned for his sermons and other addresses. He has been considered by many to be one of the most brilliant orators of all time and a m ...

, the famous preacher who had been instrumental in his conversion, and changed his first name to that of Bossuet. Winsløw died in Paris.

Work

His main work, with many translations, was ''Exposition anatomique de la structure du corps humain'', published in 1732. His exposition of the structure of the human body is distinguished for being not only the first treatise of descriptive

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 ...

, divested of physiological details and hypothetical explanations foreign to the subject, but for being a close description derived from actual objects, without reference to the writings of previous anatomists. About the same time

William Cheselden William Cheselden (; 19 October 168810 April 1752) was an English surgeon and teacher of anatomy and surgery, who was influential in establishing surgery as a scientific medical profession. Via the medical missionary Benjamin Hobson, his work ...

in London, the first Alexander Monro in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, and

Bernhard Siegfried Albinus Bernhard Siegfried Albinus (originally Weiss; 24 February 16979 September 1770) was a German-born Dutch anatomist. He served a professor of medicine at the University of Leiden like his father Bernhard Albinus (1653–1721). He also published ...

Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...

, contributed by their several treatises to render anatomy still more precise as a descriptive science. The ''Osteographia'' of the first-mentioned was of much use in directing attention to the study of the

skeleton A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...

and the morbid changes to which it is liable. In 1742, he addressed the question of the sure signs of death and

premature burial Premature burial, also known as live burial, burial alive, or vivisepulture, means to be buried while still alive. Animals or humans may be buried alive accidentally on the mistaken assumption that they are dead, or intentionally as a form of t ...

(burial alive), in his thesis "The uncertainty of the

signs of death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

, and the danger of precipitate internments and dissections". (in French : ''Dissertation sur l'incertitude des signes de la mort, et des enterremens & embaumemens précipités'' ).https://www.worldcat.org/fr/title/dissertation-sur-lincertitude-des-signes-de-la-mort-et-labus-des-enterremens-embaumemens-precipites-par-m-jacques-benigne-winslow-docteur-regent-de-la-faculte-de-medecine-de-paris-de-lacademie-roiale-des-sciences-c-traduite-commentee-par-jacques-jean-bruhier-docteur-en-medecine/oclc/490479611 The

omental foramen In human anatomy, the omental foramen (epiploic foramen, foramen of Winslow after the anatomist Jacob B. Winslow, or uncommonly aditus; la, Foramen epiploicum), is the passage of communication, or foramen, between the greater sac (general cavity ...

, which he first described, is still known under the alternative name of "Winslow's foramen". Jacob Winslow is credited with first documenting the existence of the

foramen spinosum The foramen spinosum is a hole located in the greater wing of the sphenoid. It is located posterolateral to the foramen ovale and anterior to the sphenoidal spine. It allows the passage of the middle meningeal artery, middle meningeal vein and ...

Sources

* Egill Snorrason, ''Anatomen J. B. Winsløw 1669-1760'', Nyt Nordisk Forlag, 1969.

References

External links

* ''Exposition anatomique de la structure du corps humain'' online: ** (1732) ** (1776) **
Short biography
on

Who Named It? ''Whonamedit?'' is an online English-language dictionary of medical eponyms and the people associated with their identification. Though it is a dictionary, many eponyms and persons are presented in extensive articles with comprehensive bibliograph ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Winslow, Jacob B. 1669 births 1760 deaths People from Odense Danish emigrants to France Converts to Roman Catholicism Danish anatomists Members of the Prussian Academy of Sciences Members of the French Academy of Sciences Winsløw family

Life

Work

See also

Sources

References

External links