Bipolar
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
The term bipolar refers to having two poles of equal structure, as opposed to unipolar (one pole) or multipolar (many poles). Examples include bipolar electrical molecules proposed by Du Bois-Reymond, bipolar mitosis with one spindle and two centrosomes, and bipolar nerve cells with fibers extending from both ends of the cell body.
Encyclopedia entry (1928–1936)
Bipolar, two-pole, a term used to denote, on one hand, the presence of two poles (the poles of a figure are points located at the ends of its axis, for example, the poles of the earth) of identical structure, and on the other hand, to indicate that there are two poles in general, and not one (unipolar) or many (multipolar). Examples: 1) Bipolar (or peripolar) electric molecules were postulated by Du Bois-Reymond to explain electrical phenomena in muscle and nerve; 2) Bipolar mitosis - the usual division of a cell into two parts with one spindle and two centrosomes at its poles (as opposed to multipolar mitosis); 3) Bipolar nerve cell - a body swollen in the form of a spindle continues on both sides into similarly constructed fibers (as opposed to the pear-shaped unipolar and star-shaped multipolar cell).
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“Bipolar.” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.pages.dev/article/bipolar/