Category: Fun Facts

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Fun Fact: Tendinous Intersection

Anatomy Def: Tendinous intersections are fibrous bands crossing the rectus abdominis muscles and marked by overlying skin grooves (curved red arrow).

Outlander Def: Belly grooves defining Jamie’s six-pack. Woot!

Learn about tendinous intersections (TAs) in Anatomy Lesson #16, Jamie’s Belly or Scottish Six-Pack.

Skin grooves overlying TAs are typically visible only in the lean and fit. Most humans have three pair:

    • Pair near tip of breastbone (xiphoid process),
    • Pair at navel
    • Pair midway between xiphoid and navel

Anatomical Variations:

  • TAs may be  horizontal, zigzag, arched or oblique
  • TA may be offset relative to its partner
  • Partial TAs are common (see Jamies top L groove)
  • 4th (& 5th) TA pairs may occur but usually incomplete
  • Extra TA pairs produce  an eight-pack

Question: Why do we have TAs? Are they for beauty or are they useful? Turns out, they are extremely useful.

As rectus abdominis muscles contract, the torso draws nearer the lower body. This is forward flexion. TAs allow rectus abdominis muscles to contract in segments permitting greater control over the degree of forward flexion.

Without TAs, there would be one long rectus abdominis on each side. Reduced strength can be predicted along with reduced control over the degree of forward flexion.

Does this ever happen? There is one report in the literature of a man who died at 64. Subsequent dissection revealed he had no TAs in either rectus abdominis muscle, so clearly, one can survive without these interesting structures.

Fun Fact:  are studied because the rectus abdominis muscle is used in reconstructive surgeries, especially those involving the breast.

Read about Jamie’s belly in Outlander book. Here’s Claire’s “frank” (Isn’t he 200 years away?) appraisal of Jamie on their wedding night:

“Take off your shirt,” I said, sitting up and pulling at the hem of the garment.

“Why?” he asked, but sat up and obliged. I knelt in front of him, admiring his naked body.

” ‘Because I want to look at you,’ I said.

He was beautifully made, with long graceful bones and flat muscles that flowed smoothly from the curves of chest and shoulder to the slight concavities of belly and thigh.”

See Jamie’s beautiful belly with its tendinous intersections in the above  publicity photo.

‘Nuff said!

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

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Photo Credit: Sony, Entertainment Weekly

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Fun Fact: Incisura

Anatomy Def: Notch between tragus and antitragus of the auricle. To understand the meaning of these words, read on!

Outlander Def: The ear cleft (red arrow) patiently awaiting Claire’s attention!

Learn about incisura in Anatomy Lesson #24  Hear, Here – The Ear! 

The auricle, part of the outer ear, is the visible, bendable flap situated on either side of the head. Like fingerprints or venous patterns on the back of hands, each auricle is unique to its owner.  The auricle has a cartilage core enveloped by thin skin. Auricular (adj.) anatomy is complex; it’s hollows, ridges, and whorls act to modify sounds waves of particular frequencies.

Near the base of the auricle and just above the ear lobe are two wee bumps: tragus is nearest the face; anti-tragus is nearest the outer rim. These bumps are separated by a notch, the incisura. Yay!

Incisura is also known as the intertragic notch.  An apropos name for that tragic moment when young Ian, Jamie’s beloved nephew, chooses to exchange himself for Roger Mac. Ian proves himself “a man of worth!”

Fun Fact: This is one good reason to know about the incisura. The incisura/intertagic notch is the point specified  in the U.S. Army’s regulation governing the length of sideburns in male soldiers. In other words, sideburns cannot be longer than the incisura. Who knew? Male soldiers, I presume! <G>

Try This: Find the notch near the base of your auricle. Insert finger. This is the incisura (intertragic notch), flanked on either side by the cartilaginous bumps, tragus and anti-tragus. Specific function of incisura is not known but likely aids in sound wave modification.

Otalgia: Some people experience incisural pain, generally known as otalgia, meaning “ear pain.” The most common causes of incisural pain are:

    • otitis externa or inflammation of outer ear (auricle/ear canal)
    • otitis media or inflammation of middle ear (between ear drum and inner ear)

Read about the auricle in Diana’s splendid big book, The fiery Cross. Many ear quotes to choose from, but in this one, Jamie’s wandering thumb comes verra close to Claire’s incisura! (cough, cough)

His fingers went under the mass of hair, and I felt his hand cup the base of my skull, holding my head like a chalice. 

“I saw my mother in her coffin,” he said at last. His thumb touched my ear, drew down the curve of helix and lobule, and I shivered at his touch. 

“The women had plaited her hair, to be seemly, but my father wouldna have it. I heard him. He didna shout, though, he was verra quiet… He undid her plaits and he spread out her hair in his two hands across the pillow…”

Sob!

See Jamie’s left incisura as he sadly ponders Ian’s decision to remain with the Mohawk in Starz Outlander episode 413, A Man of Worth! 

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

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Photo Credit:   Starz ep 413, A Man of Worth

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Fun Fact: Anatomy

Anatomy Def: Ha, ha – anatomy defines anatomy! No, just joshing. Anatomy is the science of the body (human and other organisms) and its parts.

Outlander Def: Claire’s first day in Dr. Simms’ anatomy theater as the only female first year medical student. Don’t touch my blade, young lady! <G>  Grateful Joe Abernathy was at her side and she by his.

Learn the history of this topic in Anatomy Lesson #34, The Amazing saga of Human Anatomy.

Human Anatomy is the oldest of the medical sciences. The word derives from the Greek ana-, meaning up combined with temnō, meaning I cut. It doesn’t take rocket science to recognize this term infers the use of  dissection to discern an organism’s design.

Fun Fact: This is important. Do you ken how to pronounce the word, dissection? It is pronounced dis-section not di-ssection. Thus, we dis-sect an organism but we bi-sect a line. Got it? Yay, students!

Anatomy covers the structure of cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems throughout all stages of life. The anatomist is concerned with name, shape, size, position, texture, relationship, blood supply, and innervation of such structures.  Classically, physiologists study function and biochemists follow processes, although nowadays, these distinctions tend to blur.

The roots of human anatomy arguably began with the Ancient Egyptians (2,600 BCE), a culture which believed a soul could retrieve its mummified body before journeying to the underworld. These embalmers understood some anatomical regions quite well. But, if we include animal anatomy, first prize goes to creators of Australian Aboriginal rock art, some of which date to 40,000 years ago!

Human anatomy with dissection has been the foundation of western medicine for the last several hundred years. Why? Well, if your beloved computer goes haywire, you don’t want joe blow tinkering with it, do you? Likewise, who places their body in the hands of a practitioner who knows little about its design? Nope!

Early western medical schools used three individuals to present a dissection.  A lecturer stood on a raised dais and read from an ancient anatomical text (Galen). A barber surgeon performed the dissection. An individual wearing a black hat pointed to the structures using a baton.  Over the years, barber surgeon and black hat fused into a single position, the Demonstrator of Anatomy, a position I held at my institution for almost two decades.

Then, a huge leap in anatomical knowledge occurred in the 16th century, due largely to the genius of Flemish physician and anatomist, Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564), Father of Modern Anatomy. Andreas championed dissection coupled with direct observation, thereby dispelling wrongful ideas that had endured for over 1400 years!

Following the work of Vesalius, human anatomy enjoyed a burst of anatomical discovery and illustration! Today’s anatomical “bible” is, of course, Gray’s Anatomy. My own edition weighs in at 10 pounds, appears in size 8 font, and boasts 1500+ pages. And, it still doesn’t cover the entire breadth and depth of human anatomy!

Read about Claire’s commitment to anatomy, medicine, and surgery in Voyager book. From the “pen” of Herself:

I picked up his right hand and transferred it to my own knee. He let it lie there, warm, heavy and inert, and didn’t object as I felt each finger, pulling gently to stretch the tendons and twisting to see the range of motion in the joints.

“My first orthopedic surgery, that was,” I said wryly.

“Have ye done a great many things like that since?” he asked curiously, looking down at me.

“Yes, a few. I’m a surgeon—but it doesn’t mean then what it means now,” I added hastily. “Surgeons in my time don’t pull teeth and let blood. They’re more like what’s meant now by the word ‘physician’—a doctor with training in all the fields of medicine, but with a specialty.”

“Special, are ye? Well, ye’ve always been that,” he said, grinning. The crippled fingers slid into my palm and his thumb stroked my knuckles. “What is it a surgeon does that’s special, then?”

I frowned, trying to think of the right phrasing. “Well, as best I can put it—a surgeon tries to effect healing … by means of a knife.”

His long mouth curled upward at the notion.

“A nice contradiction, that; but it suits ye, Sassenach.”

See Claire’s anatomy course in Starz ep 302, Surrender.  Six scalpels lay before Dr. Simms. Where are the scissors? But the truth is, a scalpel is useful for skin incisions but it is then laid aside and replaced with the finest dissection tool of all: a pair of long-bladed scissors!

The deeply grateful

Outlander Anatomist

Postscriptum: I have had the privilege of teaching dissection using more than 500 donor bodies. I thank them and their families for the privilege of learning from their temples of flesh. Dissecting the human body is an honor that has changed me, forever.

Photo Credits: Starz