Historical perspective on neuroembryology: Wilhelm His and his contemporaries

Abstract

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the discovery of the neural crest by Wilhelm His (1831-1904). Beyond this discovery, His made possible the program of comparative anatomy at the cellular level thanks to the introduction in 1866 of the first microtome to have micrometer advance. His studies of the origin, migration, and fate of neural crest cells were foundational in the field of neuroembryology and contributed to the establishment of the neuron doctrine. The article places His' work in the scientific context of 19th century embryology, concerned with reconciling the embryonic layers theory, the cell theory and the evolution theory. From a methodological point of view, the article shows that His appears in this context at the junction of two embryological traditions, the descriptive morphological approach and the new experimental approach. The anatomical and physiological exploration of the neural crest and the controversies that followed highlight the transition between these two traditions that His enabled and of which he was one of the initiators.

Specification and formation of the neural crest: Perspectives on lineage segregation

“…Neural crest cells were first identified in chick embryos by Wilhelm His in 1868, who described them as a middle furrow or groove (“zwischenrinne ” ) surrounding the neural plate in early stages, and once the neural tube was formed, as a middle cord or thread (“zwischengstrang ” ) of tissue in‐between the neural tube and the epidermis (Dupont, ; Garcia‐Castro, ; His, ). Neural crest cells develop along most of the embryonic anteroposterior axis and exhibit specific differentiation capacities according to their axial identity.…”

“…("zwischengstrang") of tissue in-between the neural tube and the epidermis (Dupont, 2018;Garcia-Castro, 2011;His, 1868). Neural crest cells develop along most of the embryonic anteroposterior axis and exhibit specific differentiation capacities according to their axial identity.…”

The revolutionary developmental biology ofWilhelmHis,Sr.

“…Minot ( 1890 , p. 891) referred to His's ‘great’ monograph on chicken development (His, 1868b ) and one reviewer described it as the finest work of its kind since von Baer (Anon., 1869 ). His's ‘ Anatomy of Human Embryos ’ (His, 1880 , 1882a , 1885 ) is a foundational work in that field (O'Rahilly, 1979 ; Dupont, 2018 , p. 2).…”

“…His's ideas influenced Weiss's ‘contact guidance’ theory of neuronal target‐finding (Weiss, 1955 , p. 356), and his discovery of the neural crest is a landmark in the history of developmental neurobiology (Hall, 2008 ; Bronner & Simoes‐Costa, 2016 ; Dupont, 2018 ; Glover et al ., 2018 ). On the other hand, his epi‐spinal spaces in the brain may be artefacts (Woollam & Millen, 1954 ), and his facial reconstruction of J. S. Bach is questionable (Supplementary Note S2 ).…”

The crucial role of model systems in understanding the complexity of cell signaling in human neurocristopathies

“…In 2018, we honored the 150th anniversary of the discovery of NCC by Professor Wilhelm His, who made major contributions to our knowledge of human embryonic development and identified the NC in 1868 (Dupont, 2018). Soon afterward, Franklin P. Mall expanded upon Professor His’ work.…”