ABSTRACT
Clinical manifestations of thoracic outlet syndromes have afflicted humankind since prerecorded history. One of the first cases is described in Genesis 22:1. Abraham was planning to sacrifice his son Isaac to prove his devotion to God. As Abraham raised the knife, an angel of the Lord came to him and with omnipotent compassion created an ‘acute thoracic outlet syndrome,’ causing Abraham’s arm to become numb and weak. He dropped the knife, thus sparing Isaac and forever ending human sacrifice in the Judeo-Christian religions.
