Main Entry: Asch·off body

Pronunciation: \ˈä-ˌshȯf-\

Function: noun

: one of the tiny lumps in heart muscle that are typical of rheumatic heart disease and consist of swollen collagen, cells, and fibrils ; also : one of the similar but larger lumps found under the skin especially in rheumatic fever or polyarthritis—called also Aschoff nodule

Aschoff, Karl Albert Ludwig (1866–1942), German pathologist. One of the foremost pathologists of his time, Aschoff undertook noteworthy investigations into cholelithiasis, thrombosis, scurvy, and appendicitis. He also made a classic histopathologic study of myocarditis, and in 1904 in an article on myocarditis associated with acute rheumatic fever he presented his classic description of the inflammatory nodule (now known as the Aschoff body or nodule) that is characteristic of this rheumatic condition. Aschoff is also known for his later work on phagocytic cells, which he grouped into the reticuloendothelial system.