its named by Alexander MONRO secundus (1733-1817)
Each foramen of Monro lies between the roof and anterior wall of the third ventricle behind the column and body of the fornix and anterior to the thalamus.
A number of structures pass through each foramen (in addition to CSF): - choroid plexus
- arteries: distal branches of the medial posterior choroidal arteries
- veins: thalamostriate, superior choroidal and septal
If the ventricles are small, then each foramen is a small crescent, concave anteriorly (indented by the fornix). On the other hand, if the ventricles are large, each foramen becomes more circular in cross section
The MONROS: A family of three Scottish doctors—father, son, and grandson, who lifted Edinburgh University to a centre of medical teaching in the 18th and 19th centuries.
All named Alexander and differentiated as primus, secundus, and tertius, held the chair of anatomy at Edinburgh for 126 years (1720–1846) without interruption !!! All of them taught for long periods: thirty-eight, fifty-four, and forty-eight years respectively !!
Monro secundus (1733-1817) is considered the finest teacher and anatomist of the three. He was first to describe definitively (1783) the interventricular foramen between the lateral ventricles of the brain (known as foramen of Monro).
Figure: Observations on the Structure and Functions of the Nervous System by Alexander Monro, Secundus (1783).
This work described and illustrated the interventricular foramen, named the Foramen of Monro.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
