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Other Contributions to Neuroscience
Ridley was the first to describe a pineal tumor. In chapter 10 of his treatise where he described the "Glandula Pinealis," he stated, "In an hydropical Brain of a stumous Boy, I have seen it swelled to a size of three times its ordinary magnitude, and by reason of the abundance of stagnate gelatinous Lympha contained in it, perfectly transparent."
Ridley expressed great understanding of the various deep nuclei of the brain in his treatise. Even his description of the fornix and its pathways are regarded to be the first accurate descriptions (Fig. 5).
Ridley made many advances in the art and science of neuroanatomy and neuroscience. These advances are clearly illustrated in his treatises and in his extensive body of work on these topics. Some instances, such as his discovery and descriptions of the ophthalmic artery, the trigeminal ganglion, the arachnoid membranes, and arachnoid cisterns, are very significant in retrospect. Despite these discoveries, his contributions have remained in relative obscurity. We speculate that the reason for his relative obscurity was the nature of clinical and experimental practice. There are no records that reveal his legacy in training a successful generation of leading neuroanatomists or physicians. Additionally, Ridley remained at one institution with minimal contact with outside academicians. Unlike him, his better-known contemporaries, such as Joseph Guichard Duverney, William Cheselden, and Johann Friedrich Meckel, traveled extensively and were keenly interested in training generations of successful physicians and scientists. We can only guess at the stoic nature of his personality. Very little is known about his personal life, and by extrapolation one may assume that he was as private and humble about his work as well.
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