Introduction: The historical origin of the “meningioma”-nomenclature unravels interesting social and political aspects about the development of neurosurgery in the late 19th century. The terminology itself was the subject of nationalistic pride and coincided with advancement in the rise of medicine in Continental Europe as a professional social enterprise.
Methods: In this study, we delineate the uniqueness of the term “meningioma” as it developed within the historical framework of continental European concepts of tumor genesis, disease states, and neurosurgery as an emerging discipline leading to the culmination of Cushing’s Meningiomas text.
Results: During the intellectual apogee of the French Enlightenment, Antoine Louis published the first known scientific treatise on meningiomas. Like his father, Louis was a renowned military surgeon whose accomplishments were honored with admission to the Académie Royale de Chirurgie(ARC) in 1749. His treatise, “Sur les tumeurs fongueuses de la dure-mère,” appeared in 1774. Following this era, growing economic depression affecting a frustrated bourgeoisie triggered a tumultuous revolutionary period that destroyed France’s ancien-régime and abolished its university and medical systems. The resulting anarchy was eventually quelled through legislation aiming to satisfy Napoleon’s need for qualified military professionals, including physicians and surgeons. These laws laid the foundations for the subsequent flourishing of French medicine throughout the mid-19th-century. Subsequent changes to the “meningioma”-nomenclature were authored by intellectual giants of this post-revolutionary period, e.g. the Limoges-born pathologist, Jean Cruveilhier, known for the term “tumeurs cancéreuses de la dure-mère,” and the work of histopathologists like Lebert who were influenced by Pasteur’s germ theory and Bernard’s experimental medicine.
Conclusions: The final development corresponded to the rise of American Neurosurgery as a formal academic discipline in Cushing’s text Meningiomas. This was the next historical period of growth and set the scientific stage for the modern developments in meningioma research and surgery that we employ today.
Patient Care: To give an appreciation and background to the reader for the concept of "meningioma"
Learning Objectives: By the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to: 1) understand the historical origin behind the term "meningioma." 2) link the history to more modern developments in the field.