it reminded him of a cake
- Written by: Paige Donaghy, Early career researcher, The University of Queensland
The placenta and umbilical cord. Watercolour image, unknown artist, 19th century.Wellcome Collection, CC BY-SAEver wondered where the placenta got its name?
In Italy in the 1500s, the anatomist Matteo Realdo Colombo coined this term to describe the large fleshy organ of pregnancy. Colombo chose placenta because it resembled another big, round...