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''Nomina Anatomica'' (''NA'') was the international standard on human anatomic terminology from 1895 until it was replaced by '' Terminologia Anatomica'' in 1998. In the late nineteenth century some 30,000 terms for various body parts were in use. The same structures were described by different names, depending (among other things) on the anatomist's school and national tradition. Vernacular translations of Latin and Greek, as well as various eponymous terms, were barriers to effective international communication. There was disagreement and confusion among anatomists regarding anatomical terminology.


Editions

The first and last entries in the following table are not NA editions, but they are included for the sake of continuity. Although these early editions were authorized by different bodies, they are sometimes considered part of the same series. Before these codes of terminology, approved at anatomists congresses, the usage of anatomical terms was based on authoritative works of scholars like
Galen Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus (; September 129 – AD), often Anglicization, anglicized as Galen () or Galen of Pergamon, was a Ancient Rome, Roman and Greeks, Greek physician, surgeon, and Philosophy, philosopher. Considered to be one o ...
, Berengario da Carpi,
Gaspard Bauhin Gaspard Bauhin or Caspar Bauhin (; 17 January 1560 – 5 December 1624), was a Switzerland, Swiss botanist whose ''Pinax theatri botanici'' (1623) described thousands of plants and classified them in a manner that draws comparisons to the later ...
, Henle, Hyrtl, etc.


The IANC and the FCAT


Twelfth congress

Around the time of the ''Twelfth Congress'' (
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, 1985), a dispute arose over the
editorial independence An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK), is an article or any other written document, often unsigned, written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper or magazine, that expresses the publication's opinion about ...
of the IANC. The IANC did not believe that their work should be subject to the approval of IFAA Member Associations. The types of discussion underlying this dispute are illustrated in an article by Roger Warwick, then Honorary Secretary of the IANC: : An aura of scholasticism, erudition and, unfortunately, pedantry has therefore often impeded attempts to rationalize and simplify anatomical nomenclature, and such obstruction still persists. The preservation of archaic terms such as ''Lien,'' ''Ventriculus,'' ''Epiplooon'' and ''Syndesmologia,'' in a world which uses and continues to use ''Splen, Gaster, Omentum'' and ''Arthrologia'' (and their numerous derivatives) provides an example of such pedantry. : We have inherited a number of archaic and now somewhat irrational terms which are confusing to the non-Latinistic students and scientists of today ... Knowledge of Latin is extremely limited today, and thus any Latin nomenclature must be simplified to the utmost to achieve maximum clarity, usefulness, and hence acceptance. : Unless anatomical nomenclature is subject to a most rigorous revision, in terms of simplification and rationalization, general use of such an internationally official nomenclature as ''Nomina Anatomica'' will decline rather than increase. What declined, however, was the influence of the IANC on anatomical terminology. The IANC published a ''sixth'' edition of ''Nomina Anatomica,'' but it was never approved by the IFAA.


Thirteenth congress

Instead, at the ''Thirteenth Congress'' (
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
, 1989), the IFAA created a new committee – the Federative Committee on Anatomical Terminology (FCAT). The FCAT took over the task of revising international anatomical terminology. The result was the publication, in 1998, of a "new, updated, simplified and uniform anatomical terminology", the Terminologia Anatomica (TA) . The IANC was acknowledged in this work as follows: : Since the first meeting, the FCAT made several contacts with the IANC aiming at the natural transition from the old approach to the approach established by the General Assembly of the IFAA. Such initiatives, however, did not result in a ''
modus vivendi ''Modus vivendi'' (plural ''modi vivendi'') is a Latin phrase that means "mode of living" or " way of life". In international relations, it often is used to mean an arrangement or agreement that allows conflicting parties to coexist in peace. In ...
'' for harmonious collaboration.


''Terminologia Anatomica'' (''TA'')

The '' Terminologia Anatomica '' is the joint creation of the FCAT (now FICAT—the Federative International Committee on Anatomical Terminology) and the Member Associations of the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists (IFAA). The first edition, published in 1998, supersedes all previous lists. It is the international standard for anatomical terminology. The 39th edition of ''
Gray's Anatomy ''Gray's Anatomy'' is a reference book of human anatomy written by Henry Gray, illustrated by Henry Vandyke Carter and first published in London in 1858. It has had multiple revised editions, and the current edition, the 42nd (October 2020 ...
'' (2005) explicitly recognizes ''Terminologia Anatomica''.Standring S. ''Gray's Anatomy'', 39th edition. Elsevier Churchill Livingstone, 2005


Modern use

''NA'' and its derivatives are still used in some contexts (even the controversial sixth edition), and there remain some obstacles to universal adoption of ''TA'': * The ''TA'' is only available in Latin, English, and Spanish, while the ''NA'' is available in many additional languages, which has had an impact upon international adoption of TA. * ''
Terminologia Embryologica The ''Terminologia Embryologica'' (''TE'') is a standardized list of words used in the description of human embryologic and fetal structures. It was produced by the Federative International Committee on Anatomical Terminology on behalf of the In ...
'' is under development, but is not yet available. By contrast, multiple editions of '' Nomina Embryologica'' were published. * ''
Nomina Histologica Nomen may refer to: *Nomen gentilicium, the middle part of Ancient Roman names ** ''Nomen est omen'', a Latin quote about nominative determinism *Nomen (ancient Egypt), the personal name of Ancient Egyptian pharaohs *Jaume Nomen (born 1960), Catal ...
'' underwent several editions. Until recently, there was no '' Terminologia Histologica''. However, an edition was published in 2008. * There is no "Terminologia" equivalent to the '' Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria''.


See also

* Federative International Committee on Anatomical Terminology * International Federation of Associations of Anatomists * International Morphological Terminology


References

{{reflist, 30em History of anatomy Anatomical terminology Reference works in medicine