History of frontal sinus study during the Age of Enlightenment

The presented work is a continuation of article series considering the history of studying anatomy and function of the frontal sinuses. It has been found in previous studies that the first scientific publication describing the frontal sinus belonged to Alessandro Benedetti (1502, probably, 1497). However, the frontal sinus became truly known to a wide number of doctors and anatomists only after the publication of book by A.Vesalius (1543). The study of anatomy and physiology of the frontal sinuses was continued by doctors and anatomists in the 16th—17th centuries resulting in expanded knowledge of the anatomy and function of this organ. This article presents the results of analysis of scientific publications devoted to the frontal sinus study by scientists of the Age of Enlightenment (the 18th century) and examines the contribution of each of them to the anatomy and function of this organ understanding. It has been shown that W. Cheselden was the first who used camera obscura to create drawings for an anatomical atlas in medical literature, which significantly increased the accuracy of picture, including of the frontal sinuses (1733). A. Haller was the first who described in detail function of the paranasal sinuses’ mucous membrane and mucus secreted by it (1757—1766). The first detailed anatomical description of the frontal sinuses belongs to J.F. Blumenbach (1779). D. Bell developed a realistic style of anatomical descriptions and illustrations for operative surgery including for the frontal sinuses (1794).