From the wax cast of brain ventricles (1508-9) by Leonardo da Vinci to air cast ventriculography (1918) by Walter E. Dandy

M da Mota Gomes

doi:10.1016/j.neurol.2019.11.005

From the wax cast of brain ventricles (1508-9) by Leonardo da Vinci to air cast ventriculography (1918) by Walter E. Dandy

Rev Neurol (Paris). 2020 May;176(5):393-396. doi: 10.1016/j.neurol.2019.11.005. Epub 2020 Mar 10.

Author

M da Mota Gomes¹

Affiliation

¹ Institute of Neurology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Electronic address: mmotagomes@acd.ufrj.br.

PMID: 32169327
DOI: 10.1016/j.neurol.2019.11.005

Abstract

The mold of the human cerebral ventricles produced in 1918 by Walter E. Dandy had an experimental precedent, a wax cast of ox ventricles made four hundred years earlier (1508-9) by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). This paper is an homage to the epitome of Renaissance and polymath Leonard da Vinci, as well as to Walter Edward Dandy (1886-1946) who developed the ventriculography (1918) and pneumoencephalography (1919) techniques. Pneumoencephalography was applied broadly up to the late 1970s, when it was replaced by less invasive and more accurate neuroimaging techniques.

Keywords: Cerebrospinal fluid; Leonardo da Vinci; Pneumoencephalography; Ventricles; Ventriculography; Walter Edward Dandy.

Publication types

Biography
Historical Article

MeSH terms

Casts, Surgical* / history
Cerebral Ventricles / anatomy & histology*
Cerebral Ventricles / diagnostic imaging*
Famous Persons
History, 16th Century
History, 20th Century
Humans
Medicine in the Arts / history
Neuroimaging / history*
Waxes / chemistry*
Waxes / history

Substances

Waxes

Personal name as subject

Walter E Dandy
Leonardo da Vinci