Abstract
Background
The original appearance of the cochlea and the specific shape of a spiral are interesting for both the scientists and artists. Yet, a correlation between the cochlea and the spiral forms in nature and art has been very rarely mentioned.
Aim
The aim of this study was to investigate the possible correlation between the cochlea and the other spiral objects in nature, as well as the artistic presentation of the spiral forms.
Methods
We explored data related to many natural objects and examined 13 625 artworks created by 2049 artists. We also dissected 2 human cochleas and prepared histologic slices of a rat cochlea.
Results
The cochlea is a spiral, cone-shaped osseous structure that resembles certain other spiral forms in nature. It was noticed that parts of some plants are arranged in a spiral manner, often according to Fibonacci numbers. Certain animals, their parts, or their products also represent various types of spirals. Many of them, including the cochlea, belong to the logarithmic type. Nature created spiral forms in the living world to pack a larger number of structures in a limited space and also to improve their function. Because the cochlea and other spiral forms have a certain aesthetic value, many artists presented them in their works of art.
Conclusions
There is a mathematical and geometric correlation between the cochlea and natural spiral objects, and the same functional reason for their formation. The artists’ imagery added a new aspect to those domains. Obviously, the creativity of nature and Homo sapiens has no limits—like the infinite distal part of the spiral.
1
Introduction
The cochlea is an intrapetrous bony structure of the inner ear that consists of the centrally positioned modiolus, with its osseous spiral lamina, and the spiral cochlear canal that runs around the modiolus . The membranous cochlear duct (the scala media), which separates the scala tympani and scala vestibuli, contains the organ of Corti with the sensory neuroepithelial (hair) cells .
The anatomical exploration of the ear and the surrounding regions was started by Greek philosopher Alcmaeon in the sixth century bce . The cochlea itself was first noticed by Empedocles in the fifth century bce . However, a detailed examination of the inner ear was begun only in the 16th century ce by Italian anatomist Bartolomeo Eustachio. He made excellent drawings of the auditory ossicles; but he also examined the inner ear, including the cochlea, and described it in his work Examination of the organ of hearing . Similarly, Giulio Casserio described and figured the auditory structures in his book published in 1601. The anatomists of that time clearly recognized the spiral shape of the cochlea.
Various spiral objects and living beings, whose shape is similar to the cochlea, are present in nature . In addition, the spiral forms have a certain aesthetic value, so that many artists painted or designed various types of spirals, whereas a few of them created works of art with the cochlea itself .
On this basis, we defined 3 aims in the present study: (1) to describe the cochlea as a spiral organ with certain aesthetic features; (2) to compare it to the other spiral objects in nature; and (3) to investigate spiral forms in art, especially in painting, sculpture, and architecture. We had an additional incentive for the present study, that is, a lack of the literature on this topic.
2
Materials and methods
To achieve these goals, we examined a large body of literature, including anatomy and histology , physiology and biochemistry , genetics , microbiology , botany , zoology , geology , astronomy , and fine art . In addition, many Web sites on the Internet were explored, particularly the Google images search. All in all, we examined hundreds of natural spiral forms, as well as 13 625 artworks created by 2049 artists.
To illustrate our study, we first made a microdissection of 2 cochleas taken during a routine autopsy and approved by the Institute of Pathology and the Ethics Committee of the University Clinical Center. Two petrous parts of the temporal bone of a man, aged 53 years, were removed using an electric saw. After fixation of the specimens in 10% formaldehyde solution for 3 weeks, they were dissected under the stereoscopic microscope using microinstruments and micropipets filled with 10% chloric acid. The 2 microdissected cochleas were then washed, dried, and photographed under the stereoscopic microscope at the original magnification of ×4. They were used for certain measurements that were performed with an ocular micrometer.
The petrous part of a Wistar rat temporal bone was removed (after the Ethics Committee approval), decalcificated, and embedded in paraffin. Longitudinal sections were made on the microtome, and the 5- μ m-thick slices were then stained with hematoxylin and eosin after the standard procedure . Several photomicrographs of some slices, with original magnification of ×30, were processed in Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended to enhance the aesthetics of the cochlea.
In addition, we examined and shot pictures of some spiral objects, like snail shells, pine cones, and certain architectural structures.
2
Materials and methods
To achieve these goals, we examined a large body of literature, including anatomy and histology , physiology and biochemistry , genetics , microbiology , botany , zoology , geology , astronomy , and fine art . In addition, many Web sites on the Internet were explored, particularly the Google images search. All in all, we examined hundreds of natural spiral forms, as well as 13 625 artworks created by 2049 artists.
To illustrate our study, we first made a microdissection of 2 cochleas taken during a routine autopsy and approved by the Institute of Pathology and the Ethics Committee of the University Clinical Center. Two petrous parts of the temporal bone of a man, aged 53 years, were removed using an electric saw. After fixation of the specimens in 10% formaldehyde solution for 3 weeks, they were dissected under the stereoscopic microscope using microinstruments and micropipets filled with 10% chloric acid. The 2 microdissected cochleas were then washed, dried, and photographed under the stereoscopic microscope at the original magnification of ×4. They were used for certain measurements that were performed with an ocular micrometer.
The petrous part of a Wistar rat temporal bone was removed (after the Ethics Committee approval), decalcificated, and embedded in paraffin. Longitudinal sections were made on the microtome, and the 5- μ m-thick slices were then stained with hematoxylin and eosin after the standard procedure . Several photomicrographs of some slices, with original magnification of ×30, were processed in Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended to enhance the aesthetics of the cochlea.
In addition, we examined and shot pictures of some spiral objects, like snail shells, pine cones, and certain architectural structures.
3
Results
In this section, our observations will be presented together with the findings of other authors. The cochlea will be described, as well as some other spiral forms in nature and art.
3.1
Cochlea as a spiral
The human cochlea is a specific bony structure with the spiral osseous (cochlear) canal around the conical modiolus. We made a dissection of 2 cochleas, one of which is presented in Fig. 1 . Many anatomists in history and modern times performed a dissection of the cochlea or its transection in various planes . Moreover, the Italian anatomists of the 18th and 19th century created beautiful wax models of the cochlea, which are now a valuable part of the collection in La Specola Museum in Florence .
According to our measurements, the mean diameter of the base of the cochlea is 8.6 mm, compared with 9.0 mm from some reports . The cochlea is 5.0 mm from base to apex. We noticed the outer diameter of the basal turn of the cochlear canal to measure 2.3 mm; of the second one, 1.2 mm; and of the third turn, 0.8 mm. The internal diameter of the basal turn ranges between 1.6 and 2.6 mm . In this turn, there is a progressive decrease of the scala tympani by approximately 300 μ m . The spiral cochlear canal, which progressively diminishes in diameter toward the apex, is between 38.6 and 45.6 mm in length (mean, 42.0 mm) . The mentioned cochlear canal makes almost 3 coils, precisely 2 3/4 turns around the modiolus .
We also performed a longitudinal histologic section of a rat cochlea, whose picture was subsequently photoshopped. Our idea was to enhance its aesthetic features and to get an image of a sculpturelike cochlea ( Fig. 2 ). Nevertheless, the section clearly shows the modiolus, spiral osseous lamina, membranous cochlear duct, and the cochlear nerve fibers. Beautiful images of the Corti organ with hair cells were made by Drs Edwin Rubel and Glen MacDonald using the laser confocal microscope ( Fig. 3 ). The latter cells make synaptic contacts with the peripheral processes of the spiral ganglion neurons, whose central axons form the cochlear nerve .
3.2
Spiral forms in nature
Nature creates various spiral objects and living beings, including the unicellular organisms and subcellular components, as well as certain phenomena occasionally. Some of these structures are very similar to the cochlea.
Inorganic materials, including some minerals, volcanic lava, water, and atmosphere, sometimes make the spiral forms . Certain microorganisms, such as Treponema pallidum , have a characteristic spiral shape . Some protein macromolecules, such as those in the collagen fibers and muscle cells, are coiled structures . DNA molecule is the most important subcellular spiral structure . Myelin sheath around the axons also shows a spiral arrangement .
Some plants or their parts are also spiral in shape: the aloe, various tendrils, fruitlets of a pineapple, flowers of an artichoke, seeds of the sunflower and pine cones ( Fig. 4 ), and others . The animal kingdom is rich in spiral structures . This is particularly true for the snail shells ( Fig. 5 ), nautilus, fanworms, and the sea horse tail. The spiral form was so successful during evolution that some prehistoric sea shells reached up to 2 m in size.
Some organs and vessels of higher animals are also spiral in shape, for instance, the seminiferous tubules and efferent ductules of the testis, the epidydimal duct, the nephrons and glomeruli of the kidney, and certain vessels of the spleen . The hippocampus, with the accompanying dentate gyrus, is a specific spiral structure of the brain .
In addition, dynamic spirals occur occasionally. They are made by nematodes, annelids, some caterpillars and snakes in certain postures; by the tail of moving spermatozoa; and others . Nature sometimes makes spirals of lava, as well as whirlpools in water and tornadoes in the atmosphere .
3.3
Spiral forms in fine art
The spiral form has been attracting many artists since the ancient times until the modern era. The spiral found in ancient Chinese art was an early symbol for the sun . Sumerian architects in Mesopotamia created about 5000 years ago the spiral-like religious buildings, ziggurats , which much later inspired some other architects . The Minoan artists painted spirals on jugs about 1800 bce . Greek painters decorated vases with a scroll ornamental motif known as guilloche . Their sculptors created spiral-like braids or curls in the female figures ( kore ) and male sculptures ( kouros ) . Greek builders decorated the capital of Ionic columns with a double scroll, that is, the volute . Trajan’s and Marcus Aurelius’ columns from the ancient Roman times are still decorated with a long spiral relief .
Byzantine sacral artists also applied spiral forms occasionally, as shown in Fig. 6 . Spirals and double spirals were used by Islamic artists as well . In addition, the medieval manuscripts were sometimes decorated with spiral ornaments . The famous Italian baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed in the 17th century superior spiral decorations on the bronze columns of the Baldachin in St Peter’s Church in the Vatican . Similar decorations were made later on by other architects on the columns of the Karlskirche in Vienna and the Abbey Church in Germany. Danish architects constructed fine spiral towers of some Protestant churches in Copenhagen.
Herman Obrist in the 19th century created the spiral Movement . The famous expressionist Vincent van Gogh painted the sky whirlings in Starry Night , whereas Gustav Klimt depicted Tree of Life with spiral branches . Pablo Picasso, the founder of cubism, created in 1914 a kind of spiral assemblage entitled Glass of Absinthe . A year later, Max Weber created his Spiral Rhythm . Johannes Itten in 1920 made a spiral Tower of Fire , whereas Vladimir Tatlin, the founder of constructivism, designed the spiral Model of the Monument of the Third International .
The futurist Buzzi presented Spiral and Helix in his drawing, whereas Gino Severini and Luigi Russolo created the spiral compositions Music and Armoured Train , respectively . MK Escher made the graphics Spirals and Whirlpools , and Marcel Duchamp created Disks Bearing Spirals . In 1967, the conceptualist Bruce Nauman constructed his spiral Window using fluorescent light tubes. One of the most famous land artworks is Spiral Jetty designed in 1970 on Great Salt Lake by Roberth Smithson . Some contemporary authors, such as Tina Oloyede and Chuck Siebur, created excellent digital images of various spiral forms ( Fig. 7 ) .
