Article ID: CBB054465872

On old Olympus? Oliver Wendell Holmes and the origin and evolution of a mnemonic couplet for the cranial nerves (2022)

unapi

A mnemonic couplet to help students learn the names of the cranial nerves has been in use in the United States since the mid-nineteenthth century. The original in iambic tetrameter is attributed to Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. Using a systematic search, more than 40 variants have been identified and, where possible, ordered in time. Variations depended in part on evolving preferred names for individual cranial nerves, regional geographic features, and idiosyncratic choices. Some inferior variants ignored critical features of the original (e.g., meter, number of poetic feet, or even the rhyme). Others strove to have a memorable couplet with the basic features of the original but without resorting to disparaging phrases. However, with the modern names for the cranial nerves, few of the extant versions of the mnemonic make sense, or preserve iambic tetrameter and rhyme, while avoiding derogatory or lewd expressions. Two new versions are suggested that meet these constraints.

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Authors & Contributors
Anctil, Michel
Modern, John Lardas
Keiser, Jess
Aroua, Mahmoud
Wübben, Yvonne
Vöhringer, Margarete
Concepts
Brain
Nervous system
Neurosciences
Human anatomy
Physiology
Neuroanatomy
Time Periods
19th century
20th century
18th century
21st century
Early modern
Renaissance
Places
Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Mediterranean region
Scotland
United States
Switzerland
Germany
Institutions
International Brain Research Organization
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