Congenital Aglossia and the Report by Antoine de Jussieu: A Critical and Historical Review

Abstract

Objective: Antoine de Jussieu, renowned French botanist and physician, laid the groundwork for future research on the topic of congenital aglossia when his study, “Observation About How a Girl Born Without the Tongue Was Able To Perform All Functions That Depend On That Organ,” was presented to the 22-member assembly of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Paris on April 22, 1718. This study reviews the literature on de Jussieu’s report. Study design: The original report by de Jussieu was read and translated into English, after which 94 studies about congenital aglossia history and botany were selected. Results: Of the 95 studies selected, one refers to de Jussieu’s report (the groundwork), Annex I; 85 discuss congenital aglossia; five are about history and four about botany. Of the 85 directly associated with congenital aglossia, 36 do not mention de Jussieu, and 49 cite his observations differently. Conclusion: Because of the 1718 report, de Jussieu became a major figure in the history of congenital aglossia and the author most often quoted in studies about it. However, there were historical facts that needed to be clarified. Some of the issues addressed in this review included the replacement of the letter A with M as the initial of de Jussieu’s first name; the omission of the word nee in the original title; the replacement of nee sans langue with privee de langue in the title; the change of the girl’s age from 15 to nine years; the suggestion that the patient had limb defects; the change of year from 1718 to 1717 and 1719; the incorrect spelling of de Jussieu’s name and title of his report.