Inclusive Anatomy
Historical Timeline
1800
1835
Benjamin Alcock
Benjamin Alcock originally described the pudendal canal.[1]
1907
D.E. Derry
In 1907, D. E. Derry referred to the pudendal canal as “a sheath usually known as Alcock’s canal,” demonstrating that the eponym was already widely established by the early 20th century.[3]
Present
Eponym:
The pudendal canal is eponymously known as Alcock’s canal after Irish anatomist, Benjamin Alcock.[1] In 1819, Alcock enrolled into Trinity College of Dublin, Ireland, with a scholarship where he studied under James Macartney, an anatomist who emphasized the analysis of structures in relation to their surroundings (topographical anatomy).[1] In Trinity College, Alcock was later apprenticed to skilled anatomist and surgeon, Abraham Colles.[1]
In 1821, Alcock graduated from Trinity College with a B.A. and became a Licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 1825.[1] Alcock also obtained an M.B. degree from the University of Dublin in 1827 and was elected a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland the same year.[1] In 1844, following a supplemental charter from Queen Victoria that divided members into Licentiate and Fellows, Alcock became a Fellow and earned an M.D.[1]
Benjamin Alcock - Image Obtained From: Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)
Scientific Contributions:
In 1811, Alcock published A Treatise on Surgical Anatomy, which taught about the method of topographical anatomy. This was the first publication to highlight this anatomical approach.[1]
Alcock’s description of the pudendal canal came from his contribution to The Cyclopaedia of Anatomy and Physiology which was published from 1835 to 1859.[1] The articles published by Alcock within Cyclopaedia focused on the iliac arteries and is where the description of the pudendal canal was provided.[1] He described the internal pudendal artery being contained in a canal (canalis pudendalis) within the obturator fascia, rather than the artery running lateral to the fascia as it was previously commonly thought.[1,2]
The first eponymous attribution of the pudendal canal to Benjamin Alcock is not known. In 1907, the anatomist Douglas E. Derry referred to the pudendal canal as “a sheath usually known as Alcock’s canal” in his publication, Pelvic Muscles and Fasciae.[2,3]
References
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Oelhafen K, Shayota BJ, Muhleman M, Klaassen Z, Tubbs RS, Loukas M. Benjamin Alcock (1801–?) and his canal. Clin Anat. 2013;26(6):662-666. doi:10.1002/ca.22080
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O’Rahilly R. Benjamin Alcock, anatomist. Ir J Med Sci. 1947;22(10):622-632. doi:10.1007/BF02937643
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Derry DE. Pelvic muscles and fasciae. J Anat Physiol. 1907;42(Pt 1):107-111.
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