Anatomy word of the month: salpinx

Salpinx means “trumpet” in Greek , that is, a tube-shaped structure with a flared opening. The term is not used alone, but as a root or central meaning in numerous words referring to the uterine tubes. Examples of these terms are: salpingitis (inflammation of), salpingectomy (removal of), hematosalpinx (bleeding within). You may be more familiar with “fallopian tubes”.

By the way, fallopian doesn’t mean anything. It is a term called an eponym, the traditional practice of naming anatomical structures in honor of their discoverer. The uterine tubes, or fallopian tubes, are named for Gabriello Fallopio, a sixteenth century Italian anatomist.

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