Friedrich Christian Rosenthal (June 3, 1780 – December 5, 1829) was a German

anatomist Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal 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 scien ...

who was a native of

Greifswald Greifswald (), officially the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald (, Low German: ''Griepswoold'') is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania after Rostock, Schwerin and Neubrandenburg. In 2021 it surpa ...

. He earned his doctorate from the

University of Jena The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany. The university was established in 1558 and is cou ...

, and later opened a medical practice in

(1804). In Greifswald he worked closely with naturalist Karl Asmund Rudolphi (1771–1832), earning his habilitation in 1807 from the local

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

with a treatise on

olfaction The sense of smell, or olfaction, is the special sense through which smells (or odors) are perceived. The sense of smell has many functions, including detecting desirable foods, hazards, and pheromones, and plays a role in taste. In humans, ...

. In 1810 he accepted an appointment to the

University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...

, and in 1820 returned to Greifswald as a professor of

physiology Physiology (; ) is the science, scientific study of function (biology), functions and mechanism (biology), mechanisms in a life, living system. As a branches of science, subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ syst ...

and anatomy. He died in 1829 at the age of 49 due to consequences from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

. Rosenthal is remembered today for two anatomical terms that contain his name: * ''Rosenthal's canal'', or the spiral canal of the

cochlea The cochlea is the part of the inner ear involved in hearing. It is a spiral-shaped cavity in the bony labyrinth, in humans making 2.75 turns around its axis, the modiolus (cochlea), modiolus. A core component of the cochlea is the organ of Cort ...

(''canalis spiralis cochleae''): A section of the

bony labyrinth The bony labyrinth (also osseous labyrinth or otic capsule) is the rigid, bony outer wall of the inner ear in the temporal bone. It consists of three parts: the vestibule, semicircular canals, and cochlea. These are cavities hollowed out of the ...

of the

inner ear The inner ear (internal ear, auris interna) is the innermost part of the vertebrate ear. In vertebrates, the inner ear is mainly responsible for sound detection and balance. In mammals, it consists of the bony labyrinth, a hollow cavity in the ...

that is approximately 30 mm long, making 2 turns about the modiolus. * ''Rosenthal's vein'', or the

cerebral Cerebral may refer to: * Of or relating to the brain * Cerebrum, the largest and uppermost part of the brain * Cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the cerebrum * Retroflex consonant, also referred to as a cerebral consonant, a type of consonant so ...

basal vein The basal vein is a vein in the brain. It is formed at the anterior perforated substance by the union of * (a) a ''small anterior cerebral vein'' which accompanies the anterior cerebral artery and supplies the medial surface of the frontal lobe by ...

(''vena basalis''): a vein that arises at the

anterior perforated substance The anterior perforated substance is a part of the brain. It is bilateral. It is irregular and quadrilateral. It lies in front of the optic tract and behind the olfactory trigone. Structure The anterior perforated substance is bilateral. It ...

, passes backward and around the

cerebral peduncle The cerebral peduncles (In Latin, ''ped-'' means 'foot'.) are the two stalks that attach the cerebrum to the brainstem. They are structures at the front of the midbrain which arise from the ventral pons and contain the large ascending (sensor ...

, joins the

internal cerebral veins The internal cerebral veins are two veins included in the group of deep cerebral veins that drain the deep parts of the hemispheres; each internal cerebral vein is formed near the interventricular foramina by the union of the superior thalamos ...

, forming the

vein of Galen The great cerebral vein is one of the large blood vessels in the skull draining the cerebrum of the brain. It is also known as the vein of Galen, named for its discoverer, the Greek physician Galen. Structure The great cerebral vein is one of th ...

before draining into the

straight sinus The straight sinus, also known as tentorial sinus or the , is an area within the skull beneath the brain. It receives blood from the inferior sagittal sinus and the great cerebral vein, and drains into the confluence of sinuses. Structure The ...

References

Sketches of Otohistory
Scientists from the Kingdom of Prussia German anatomists 1780 births 1829 deaths Academic staff of the University of Greifswald People from Greifswald {{Germany-med-bio-stub