Beasts and Gods: Hippocampal quarrels before memory

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• History of Medicine
• Anatomy

Background:

• The hippocampus was first described by Arantius in 1587, who compared its shape to a seahorse.
• Despite its early description, the hippocampus's precise anatomy and nomenclature were unclear throughout the 17th and 18th centuries.
• Numerous terminological debates occurred, particularly within the French Académie Royale des Sciences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To trace the historical description and naming of the hippocampus.
• To highlight the prolonged period of anatomical ambiguity and terminological disputes surrounding the hippocampus.
• To pinpoint the eventual establishment of the hippocampus's function, specifically its link to memory.

Main Methods:

• Historical literature review focusing on anatomical texts from the 16th to 20th centuries.
• Analysis of scientific discourse and debates, particularly from the French Académie Royale des Sciences.
• Chronological tracing of nomenclature and functional hypotheses related to the hippocampus.

Main Results:

• Arantius provided the first description and naming in 1587.
• The term 'hippocampus' was inconsistently used, and its anatomy was poorly understood until the late 18th century, with Félix Vicq d'Azyr's seminal description.
• A functional hypothesis, particularly its role in memory, was not proposed until the mid-20th century.

Conclusions:

• The naming and anatomical description of the hippocampus have a complex history marked by ambiguity and debate.
• Félix Vicq d'Azyr's work in the 1780s was crucial for clarifying the hippocampus's anatomy.
• The functional significance of the hippocampus, especially its role in memory, was a much later discovery, established in the mid-20th century.