Marie Philibert Constant Sappey (1810 – 15 March 1896) was a 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 ...

born in Cernon, near the city of

Bourg-en-Bresse Bourg-en-Bresse (; frp, Bôrg) is the prefecture of the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. Located northeast of Lyon, it is the capital of the ancient province of Bresse ( frp, Brêsse, links=no). In 2018, ...

. He studied medicine at the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

, earning his degree in 1843. Later he became a professor of anatomy in Paris, and in 1862 was elected to the

Académie Nationale de Médecine Situated at 16 Rue Bonaparte in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the Académie nationale de médecine (National Academy of Medicine) was created in 1820 by King Louis XVIII at the urging of baron Antoine Portal. At its inception, the instituti ...

, becoming its president in 1887. In 1868 he succeeded

Jean-François Jarjavay Jean-François Jarjavay (25 April 1815 – 22 April 1868) was a French anatomist and surgeon who was a native of Savignac-les-Églises in the department of Dordogne. He practised medicine at the Hôpital Lourcine and Hôpital Beaujon in Paris ...

(1815–1868) as chair of anatomy, a position he held until 1886. Sappey was a highly regarded anatomist remembered for his research of the

lymphatic system The lymphatic system, or lymphoid system, is an organ system in vertebrates that is part of the immune system, and complementary to the circulatory system. It consists of a large network of lymphatic vessels, lymph nodes, lymphatic or lymphoid o ...

. In 1874 he published an anatomical atlas that included a detailed study of cutaneous

lymphatic drainage The lymphatic system, or lymphoid system, is an organ system in vertebrates that is part of the immune system, and complementary to the circulatory system. It consists of a large network of lymphatic vessels, lymph nodes, lymphatic or lymphoid o ...

. He was married to Antoinette Clotilde Dumas who was a scientific illustrator. She illustrated some of his publications. He devised a procedure to define and delineate the lymphatic system by injecting mercury into the skin of a

cadaver A cadaver or corpse is a dead human body that is used by medical students, physicians and other scientists to study anatomy, identify disease sites, determine causes of death, and provide tissue to repair a defect in a living human being. Stud ...

in order to properly view the individual lymphatic vessels. Anatomist Henri Rouvière (1876-1952) continued Sappey's anatomical work of the human lymphatic system.

Associated Eponyms

* "Sappey's plexus": lymphatic network in the

areola The human areola (''areola mammae'', or ) is the pigmented area on the breast around the nipple. Areola, more generally, is a small circular area on the body with a different histology from the surrounding tissue, or other small circular ar ...

of the

nipple The nipple is a raised region of tissue on the surface of the breast from which, in females, milk leaves the breast through the lactiferous ducts to feed an infant. The milk can flow through the nipple passively or it can be ejected by smooth mu ...

. * "Sappey's veins": another name for

paraumbilical veins In the course of the round ligament of the liver, small paraumbilical veins are found which establish an anastomosis between the veins of the anterior abdominal wall and the portal vein, hypogastric, and iliac veins. These veins include Burrow' ...

of the accessory

portal venous system In the circulatory system of animals, a portal venous system occurs when a capillary bed pools into another capillary bed through veins, without first going through the heart. Both capillary beds and the blood vessels that connect them are con ...

. * "Haller-Sappey

ansa Ansa (Latin for "handle") or ANSA may refer to: Organizations * Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata, Italian news agency ** Ansa Mediterranean or ANSAmed, section of the above * Applied Neuroscience Society of Australasia * Association of Norw ...

anastomosis An anastomosis (, plural anastomoses) is a connection or opening between two things (especially cavities or passages) that are normally diverging or branching, such as between blood vessels, leaf#Veins, leaf veins, or streams. Such a connection m ...

of the

glossopharyngeal nerve The glossopharyngeal nerve (), also known as the ninth cranial nerve, cranial nerve IX, or simply CN IX, is a cranial nerve that exits the brainstem from the sides of the upper Medulla oblongata, medulla, just anterior (closer to the nose) to t ...

with the auricular branch of the

vagus nerve The vagus nerve, also known as the tenth cranial nerve, cranial nerve X, or simply CN X, is a cranial nerve that interfaces with the parasympathetic control of the heart, lungs, and digestive tract. It comprises two nerves—the left and right ...

for the sensitive innervation of the ear canal. Also referred to as "Haller's ansa II", named after physiologist Albrecht von Haller (1707-1777).

Written Works

* ''Traité d’anatomie descriptive avec figures intercalées dans le texte''. Paris. 3 volumes, 1847-1863. 2nd edition in 4 volumes, 1867-1874. considered to be the first French anatomical work that combined descriptive anatomy with

histology Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology which studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at larger structures vis ...

. * ''Anatomie, physiologie, pathologie des vaisseaux lymphatiques considerées chez l’homme et les vertébres''. Paris, A. Delahaye & E. Lacrosnier, 1874. Known for its illustrations. * ''Atlas d’anatomie descriptive''. 1879 (Atlas of descriptive anatomy). * ''Études sur l’appareil mucipare et sur le système lymphatique des poissons''. 1880.

References

''Marie Philibert Constant Sappey''
@

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 bibliograp ...

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sappey, Marie Philibert Constant French anatomists 1810 births 1896 deaths University of Paris faculty People from Bourg-en-Bresse Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery