Gilbert Breschet
Encyclopedia
Gilbert Breschet was a French anatomist who was born in Clermont-Ferrand
. He studied medicine at the University of Paris
, and in 1812 was conferred as doctor of medicine in Paris
. In 1836 he succeeded Jean Cruveilhier
(1791–1874) as professor of anatomy at the Faculté de médecine de Paris.
Breschet made many contributions in comparative anatomy
and research of zoonotic
diseases. In 1813 with François Magendie
(1783–1855) he demonstrated that rabies
can be transmitted from the saliva
of humans to dogs. He also discovered the rete mirabile
in whales and dolphins, which is a vascular network that allows these mammals to survive and adapt at ocean depths.
He did extensive anatomical studies of veins of the cranium and spine, and made important investigations of the auditory system in vertebrate
s. He provided a comprehensive description of the utricle and saccule
of the inner ear
, and is credited for introducing the terms otoconia and helicotrema
. The helicotrema is sometimes referred to as "Breschet's hiatus", which is a passageway that connects the scala tympani
and scala vestibuli
at the top of the cochlea
. Breschet has several other anatomical terms named after him, including:
In 1842, he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
.
Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...
. He studied medicine at the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
, and in 1812 was conferred as doctor of medicine in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. In 1836 he succeeded Jean Cruveilhier
Jean Cruveilhier
Jean Cruveilhier was a French anatomist and pathologist.In 1816 he earned his doctorate in Paris, where in 1825 he succeeded Pierre Augustin Béclard as professor of anatomy...
(1791–1874) as professor of anatomy at the Faculté de médecine de Paris.
Breschet made many contributions in comparative anatomy
Comparative anatomy
Comparative anatomy is the study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of organisms. It is closely related to evolutionary biology and phylogeny .-Description:...
and research of zoonotic
Zoonosis
A zoonosis or zoonoseis any infectious disease that can be transmitted from non-human animals to humans or from humans to non-human animals . In a study of 1415 pathogens known to affect humans, 61% were zoonotic...
diseases. In 1813 with François Magendie
François Magendie
François Magendie was a French physiologist, considered a pioneer of experimental physiology. He is known for describing the foramen of Magendie. There is also a Magendie sign, a downward and inward rotation of the eye due to a lesion in the cerebellum...
(1783–1855) he demonstrated that rabies
Rabies
Rabies is a viral disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic , most commonly by a bite from an infected animal. For a human, rabies is almost invariably fatal if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms...
can be transmitted from the saliva
Saliva
Saliva , referred to in various contexts as spit, spittle, drivel, drool, or slobber, is the watery substance produced in the mouths of humans and most other animals. Saliva is a component of oral fluid. In mammals, saliva is produced in and secreted from the three pairs of major salivary glands,...
of humans to dogs. He also discovered the rete mirabile
Rete mirabile
A rete mirabile is a complex of arteries and veins lying very close to each other, found in some vertebrates. The rete mirabile utilizes countercurrent blood flow within the net...
in whales and dolphins, which is a vascular network that allows these mammals to survive and adapt at ocean depths.
He did extensive anatomical studies of veins of the cranium and spine, and made important investigations of the auditory system in vertebrate
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
s. He provided a comprehensive description of the utricle and saccule
Saccule
The saccule is a bed of sensory cells situated in the inner ear. The saccule translates head movements into neural impulses which the brain can interpret. The saccule is sensitive to linear translations of the head, specifically movements up and down...
of the inner ear
Inner ear
The inner ear is the innermost part of the vertebrate ear. In mammals, it consists of the bony labyrinth, a hollow cavity in the temporal bone of the skull with a system of passages comprising two main functional parts:...
, and is credited for introducing the terms otoconia and helicotrema
Helicotrema
The helicotrema is the part of the cochlear labyrinth where the scala tympani and the scala vestibuli meet. It is the main component of the cochlear apex. The hair cells in this area best detect low frequency sounds.-External links:* at Allegheny University of the Health Sciences* at IUPUI...
. The helicotrema is sometimes referred to as "Breschet's hiatus", which is a passageway that connects the scala tympani
Scala tympani
Scala tympani is one of the perilymph-filled cavities in the cochlear labyrinth of the human ear. It is separated from the scala media by the basilar membrane, and it extends from the round window to the helicotrema, where it continues as scala vestibuli....
and scala vestibuli
Scala vestibuli
Scala vestibuli is a perilymph-filled cavity inside the cochlea of the inner ear that conducts sound vibrations to the scala media.It is separated from the scala media by Reissner's membrane and extends from the vestibule of the ear to the helicotrema where it joins scala tympani.-External links:* ...
at the top of the cochlea
Cochlea
The cochlea is the auditory portion of the inner ear. It is a spiral-shaped cavity in the bony labyrinth, making 2.5 turns around its axis, the modiolus....
. Breschet has several other anatomical terms named after him, including:
- Breschet's bone(s): Small ossicles occasionally found in the ligamentLigamentIn anatomy, the term ligament is used to denote any of three types of structures. Most commonly, it refers to fibrous tissue that connects bones to other bones and is also known as articular ligament, articular larua, fibrous ligament, or true ligament.Ligament can also refer to:* Peritoneal...
s of the sternoclavicular articulationSternoclavicular articulationThe sternoclavicular articulation is a synovial double-plane joint composed of two portions separated by an articular disc. The parts entering into its formation are the sternal end of the clavicle, the upper and lateral part of the manubrium sterni , and the cartilage of the first rib, visible...
. Also known as "os suprasternale" or as an episternal boneOssification of sternumThe sternum originally consists of two cartilaginous bars, situated one on either side of the median plane and connected with the cartilages of the upper nine ribs of its own side....
. - Breschet's canals: (canales diploici), Channels in the diploeDiploëDiploë refers to the spongy bone structure of the internal part of short, irregular, and flat bones.In the cranial bones, the layers of compact tissue are familiarly known as the tables of the skull; the outer one is thick and tough; the inner is thin, dense, and brittle, and hence is termed the...
of the skull that accommodate the diploic veinsDiploic veinsThe diploic veins are found in the skull, and drain the diploic space. This is found in the bones of the vault of the skull, and is the marrow-containing area of cancellous bone between the inner and outer layers of compact bone....
. - Breschet's sinus: Also known as the sphenoparietal sinusSphenoparietal sinusThe cavernous sinus receives the superior ophthalmic vein through the superior orbital fissure, some of the cerebral veins, and also the small sphenoparietal sinus, which courses along the under surface of the small wing of the sphenoid....
. - Breschet's veins: (venae diploici), Diploic veins connected with the cerebral sinuses by emissary veinsEmissary veinsThe emissary veins are valveless veins which normally drain external veins of the skull into the dural venous sinuses. However, because they are valveless, pus can flow into the skull through them as well, making them a possible route for transmission of extracranial infection to get into the...
.
In 1842, he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. The Academy is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization which acts to promote the sciences, primarily the natural sciences and mathematics.The Academy was founded on 2...
.
Selected publications
- Essai sur les veines du rachis, 1819
- Traité des maladies des enfants, 2 volumes 1833
- Traité d’anatomie humaine, with Alexandre Brière de Boismont (1797–1881), 1834.
- Histoire anatomique et physiologique d'un organe de nature vasculaire découvert dans les Cétacés, Suivie de quelques considérations sur la respiration de ces animaux et des amphibies, 1836