Author: Outlander Anatomist

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Fun Fact: Mold or Mould?

 

Anatomy Def: Mould/mold is a superficial, hairy growth produced by some fungal species; discoloration and woolly surfaces are common features.

Outlander Def: The icky layer of fuzz on Claire’s handmade bread which she hopes will yield penicillin! 🤞🏻

Learn about penicillin mold in Anatomy Lesson #57, Needles, Nerves and Penicillin.

Question #1: So, which is it, mold or mould? Ha, ha! Well, that depends on where you live. The entire English-speaking world, excepting the U.S., spells it, mould. Being somewhat contrarian, the US is the only English-speaking country that spells it, mold! 😉

Question #2: What is mold/mould? Molds are a large and diverse group of fungi (Pssst….. fungus is singular spelling, fungi is plural).

Question #3: What are fungi? In the past, fungi were classified as plants, but science marches on and fungi are now assigned to their own kingdom, placed on an even keel with plants, animals and two or three other kingdoms of life!

Mold Anatomy: Do molds exhibit anatomical features? Indeed they do! Molds grow by producing a network of transparent, branching tubules known as hyphae which lend molds their typical woolly-appearance. Molds also may have a dusty surface due to the production of spores at the tips of hyphae.

Claire kens that examination of spores and hyphae may help identify the type of mold she seeks; hence, experiments, microscope and Apprentice Marsali!

She seeks to grow a Penicillium strain that will provide a crude antibiotic. Claire, and now Marsali, will search for hyphae that look like wee paintbrushes in the microscope👇🏻! The small round globs are spores.

Let’s wish them the best of luck, although I do fash over Fergus’ recent paper grab; possibly a page of Claire’s lab notes?  😱

Spores act like seeds, a clever strategy to start new colonies. Mold spores released from parent hyphae are widely dispersed by:

    • air currents (can be airborne for long periods and distances)
    • fur
    • feather
    • clothing, etc.

If spores land on organic material (e.g. chunks of homemade bread!) along with moisture, dim light, and warmth, they undergo cell division to produce the fuzzy molds our Sassenach seeks!

Fun Fact: Few molds will grow below 39 °F  (4 °C) which is why refrigerators recommend settings around 38 °F.  But, some hearty molds can survive Antarctica, acids, anti-bacterial soap, and jet fuel! 😳

Molds are a nuisance when they spoil food and damage property. They may also be pathogens causing allergies, invading tissues (e.g. lungs), or generating harmful toxins. On the other hand, molds are extremely useful in producing various foods and beverages, and by providing enzymes, pharmaceuticals, and antibiotics!

Read about Claire’s mold experiments in The Fiery Cross:

I twiddled the quill, rolling it between thumb and forefinger. I had kept a faithful account of my experiments with penicillin—the growing of cultures on media ranging from bread to chewed pawpaw and rotted melon rind, painstaking descriptions of the microscopic and gross identification of the Penicillium molds, the effects of—to this point—very limited applications.

Read the books, folks, wherein Diana faithfully details the mold experiments! 🙏🏻

See Claire’s bread mould/mold in Outlander episode 502, Between Two Fires. Yuck! 😝

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

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Photo Credits: Sony/Starz, www.botit.botany.wisc.edu

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Fun Fact: Supercilium

Anatomy Def: Supercilium: An eyebrow, the arch of hair above each eye.

Outlander Def: Murtaugh’s Bodacious Brows! Supersilly, huh? 😜

Learn about supercilium in Anatomy Lesson #29, The Eyes Have It! 

The eyebrow or supercilium (pl. supercilia), is a linear growth of coarse hair above the eyelashes. Generally, eyebrows mimic the shape of brow ridges of the underlying (frontal) bone.

Try this: Prove it for yourself. Slowly run your fingers over the ridge of bone above each eye socket. Likely, most of your eyebrow tracks along this bony landmark. Sometimes, the eyebrow tail will deviate (up or down) as the brow ridge disappears.

Like hair of scalp, eyelashes, beard, and nether regions, brow hair is deeply embedded in the dermis of skin, a feature clearly demonstrable when viewed in a light microscope.

This deep placement of hair is very different than, let’s say, the eyelid wherein fine hairs barely reach the surface of the skin and no further – we don’t really see them. These very fine, small hairs are known as vellus hair. Eyelashes of the eyelids are different, as mentioned above.

Further, some skin regions such as lips, palms, soles of feet, nipples, and parts of the genitalia lack any hair as it would interfere with tactile sensation in these regions.

Ever wonder what eyebrows are for? We don’t actually know but here are a few theories to ponder:

  • Wicks moisture (sweat or rain) away from eyes (Herophilos, 335-280 B.C.E.)
  • Helps protect eyes from offending objects
  • Scared predators once early hominids started sleeping on ground? 🤨

Recently, a meritorious theory has emerged that human eyebrows serve primarily as a means of communication. After we developed smooth foreheads, visible, hairy eyebrows enhanced our range of non-verbal emotions, such as concern, annoyance, anger, recognition, and sympathy.

Don’t believe it? Just take another gander at Murty’s Splendid Supercilia. These Luscious Laddies enjoy a vigorous life of their own! 😂😂😂

Fun Fact: For centuries and across many cultures, people have modified eyebrows by shaving, plucking, makeup, and ornamentation.  This has been going on for a very looong time. Yep, it isna just us! 😉

Read about Murty’s Fabulous Furries in Outlander book! As early as Chapter 3, Herself conjures a remarkable mental image of Murtaugh’s facial characteristics, including his supercilia!

“I found myself staring into a pair of sharp black eyes…

And who the hell are you?” I said in astonishment. My rescuer, if I cared to call him that, was some inches shorter than I and sparely built, but the bare arms protruding from the ragged shirt were knotted with muscle and his whole frame gave the impression of being made of some resilient material such as bedsprings. No beauty, either, with a pockmarked skin, low brow, and narrow jaw…

The swarthy little man shrugged. “At the foot o’ Craigh na Dun. She was havin’ words with a certain captain of dragoons wi’ whom I chanced to be acquent’,” he added, with a significant lift of his eyebrows. “There seemed to be some question as to whether the lady was or was not a whore.”

Bedsprings? 😂

Whore? 😲

See Murty’s Bodacious Brows in every Outlander episode featuring the Glorious Godfather!

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

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Photo Credit: Sony/Starz

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FF: Camptodactyly or Clinodactyly?

Anatomy Def: Camptodactyly is a condition wherein one or more fingers are permanently bent; the little finger is always affected.

Outlander Def: Steeped in post-coital bliss (Voyager), Claire reflects on her crooked pinky finger, informing Jamie, it is a genetic gift from her mum that she passed onto Bree (see below).

Learn about the pinky finger (5th digit) in Anatomy Lesson #23, Harming Hands – Helping Hands – Healing Hands. Warning! This is a very long lesson because, well, because the hands are anatomically very complicated!

I wager book readers forgot about Claire’s crooked pinky finger – I did! 😜 A follower on Twitter reminded me just days ago! So, here goes:

Humans typically have five digits on each hand.  But, naming these appendages presents a dilemma: 🤔

    • US anatomists name a thumb and four fingers (index is #1 – pinky is #4).
    • Some European anatomists consider the thumb to be a finger (thumb is #1 – pinky is #5).

Ergo, how many fingers does a hand usually have? Clearly, the answer depends on who does the counting!

Stating the obvious, it is safest, especially in a medical setting, not use the term, “finger.” Instead, name the appendages “digits” and sequentially number them as digit #1 (thumb) through digit #5 (pinky).

Hand surgeons who helped teach my gross anatomy course didn’t use any numbers when preparing a patient for surgery to avoid mixups and mistaken surgeries! 😱 Rather, they used thumb, index, middle, ring, and little.

Now, for some quick anatomy:  The little finger (plus index, middle, and ring fingers) has three bones (phalanges). Each adjacent pair of phalanges meet at an interphalangeal (IP) joint. The IP joint nearest the wrist is the proximal interphalangeal joint (PIP); the one furtherest from the wrist is the distal interphalangeal joint (DIP).

The thumb is different because it has only two phalanges and one IP joint. Hence, US anatomists don’t consider the thumb to be a finger because of these anatomic differences.

Try This: Find the PIP and DIP joints on your index, middle, ring and little fingers. Find the IP joint on your thumb. Got it? Yay! 👍🏻

As mentioned above, camptodactyly always involves the 5th digit (pinky finger) which is permanently flexed at the  PIP joint (see image, below)!

Claire’s mother had the crooked little finger, Claire has it, and her daughter has it, too. This is not surprising as the gene for camptodactyly may be passed to the next generation by either parent.  If a person carries the gene, it may be expressed in one hand, both hands or neither.

And, if the permanent flexion is 30º or less, the hand usually functions normally.

Just to throw a monkey wrench into the issue….. Claire may have had a different condition known as clinodactyly (Greek: to bend + finger), another inheritable trait involving a crooked 5th digit.

However, clinodactyly is characterized by the pinky finger bending toward the adjacent ring finger. Yet another difference between the two conditions is that clinodactyly may occur at the DIP joint or the PIP joint, or both!

Because Claire became a skilled surgeon, we can safely assume that no matter which condition she had, the crooked right little finger did not create a hinderance to her handiwork!

Clinodactyly of the hand.
Clinodactyly is a congenital trait that is present at birth. It can occur on its own or as part of a genetic syndrome.

See: Claire’s right little finger in Outlander episode 306, A. Malcolm. The episode does not include Claire’s musing about her crooked pinky finger for good reason: It would be difficult to display such a condition throughout all seasons of Outlander!

Read: But Claire does acknowledge her finger to Jamie in Voyager book.

“Her nails are like yours; square, not oval like mine. But she has the crooked little finger on her right hand that I have,” I said, lifting it. “My mother had it, too; Uncle Lambert told me.” My own mother had died when I was five. I had no clear memory of her, but thought of her whenever I saw my own hand unexpectedly, caught in a moment of grace like this one. I laid the hand with the crooked finger on his, then lifted it to his face. 

Which condition did Claire have – camptodactyly or clinodactyly? Only Herself knows for sure! 😉

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

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Photo and Video Credits: Sony/Starz; www.congenitalhand.wustl.edu; www.healthline.com