title: Biographical sketch: Georg Hermann von Meyer (1815-1892).
abstract: This biographical sketch on Georg Hermann von Meyer highlights the interactions in the 1860s that von Meyer, a famous anatomist, had with Karl Culmann, a famous structural engineer and mathematician. The published papers from this interaction caught the attention of Julius Wolff and stimulated his development of the trajectorial hypothesis of bone adaptation--now called "Wolff's Law." The corresponding translations are provided: (1) von Meyer's 1867 paper that highlights the regularity of arched trabecular patterns in various human bones, and his discussions with Culmann about their possible mechanical relevance; and (2) Wolff's 1869 paper that first mentions the correspondence of stress trajectories in a solid, crane-like structure to the arched trabecular patterns in the proximal human femur. This biographical sketch on Georg Hermann von Meyer corresponds to the historic texts, The Classic: The Architecture of the Trabecular bone (by von Meyer), and The Classic: On the Significance of the Architecture of the Spongy Substance for the Question of Bone Growth. A preliminary publication (by Wolff) available at DOIs 10.1007/s11999-011-2041-5 , 10.1007/s11999-011-2042-4 .
authors: Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, 1600 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA.
authors: John G
authors: JG
authors: Skedros
authors: Richard A
authors: RA
authors: Brand
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000715:Anatomy / Q000266:history*; D005269:Femur / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005858:Germany; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D013314:Stress, Mechanical