node of ranvier

node of Ran·vier   (rän'vyā, rän-vyā', räɴ-)    n.   pl. nodes of Ranvier A constriction in the myelin sheath, occurring at varying intervals along the length of a nerve fiber. [After Louis Antoine Ranvier (1835-1922), French histologist.]

Main Entry: node of Ran·vier
Pronunciation: -'rän-vE-"A
Function: noun
: a constriction in the myelin sheath of a myelinated nerve fiber
Ranávier /roⁿ-vyA/, Louis–Antoine (1835–1922), French histologist. Ranvier was one of the foremost histologists of his time. He is creditedwith transforming histology from a descriptive into an experimental science. Most of his research focused on detailed nerve and skin structure. He discovered in 1871 the interruptions of the myelinsheaths, which are now known as the nodes of Ranvier. Ranvier also produced a major study on cicatrization. With the French bacteriologist André-Victor Cornil (1837–1908) he produced amanual of histopathology that ranks as one of the landmarks of medicine in the 19th century.