Tag: Anatomy Lesson #65

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Fun Fact: Petechiae

Anatomy Def: Petechiae are small round spots of blood in the skin.

Outlander Def: Telltale signs of the Roger’s distress as he slowly strangles to death!

Learn about petechiae (petechia) in Anatomy Lesson #65, Anatomy of a Hanging!

What are petechiae?  Petechiae are pinpoint, round spots signaling the leakage of blood from capillaries, the tiniest blood vessels of the skin’s dermis. These often appear in clusters and may look similar to a rash. 

More succinctly, petechiae are:  

  • Small hemorrhages (bleeding) in dermis of skin
  • 1-2 mm in diameter
  • Red, purple, brownish coloration
  • Usually feel flat (not raised)
  • Do not blanch (lose color) when pressed

What causes petechiae? Turns out there are lots of causes. Here are some general categories:

  • Strenuous coughing
  • Vomiting
  • Giving Birth
  • Lifting heavy weights
  • Infections/sepsis from bacteria, fungi, viruses
  • Reactions to some medications
  • Blood and immune disorders
  • Lack of vitamin C (scurvy)
  • Lack of Vitamin K ( needed for blood clotting)

Can petechiae appear elsewhere? Well, yes! Sometimes they appear on the linings of mouth or inner eyelids (palpebral conjunctiva)! The below image compares petechiae of the skin with those of the palpebral conjunctiva. 

What else causes petechiae? The answer circles us back to Outlander! 

Gah! Short drop hanging may cause petechiae. In this instance, the condemned sits astride a horse, stands on a barrel or some other support; the support is suddenly removed.

The ghastly short drop may be insufficient to snap the neck so the person slowly strangles to death. They struggle for breath, blood pressure rises in the head, and capillaries burst allowing small pockets of blood to accumulate in the skin and palpebral conjunctiva. Inhumane, for sooth! Roger!!! 😱 

Just so we ken, a long drop hanging (e.g. from a platform) usually snaps the neck resulting in a quick and more “humane” death (if the hangman knows his ”craft”). 

Read about Roger’s hanging and its horrific aftermath in Diana’s fifth large tome, The Fiery Cross: 

On a rise at the far end of the meadow stood a huge white oak, its spring leaves bright in the slanting sun. My horse moved suddenly, dodging past a group of men, and I saw them, three stick-figures, dangling broken in the tree’s deep shadow. The hammer struck one final blow, and my heart shattered like ice.

Too late.

It was a bad hanging. Without benefit of official troops, Tryon had had no one to hand with a hangman’s gruesome—and necessary—skills.

See petechiae of Roger’s facial skin (red arrows) in Outlander episode 508, Famous Last Words. Slow hanging is a ghastly way to die! 😭

Not-So-Fun Fact: Today, we can be grateful that many countries have abandoned hanging as a means of execution. If you are interested, an excellent film is available on this topic: Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman. Bonus! Tobias Menzies plays Lieutenant Llewelyn in this engrossing movie!

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

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Photo credit: Sony/Starz;  www.sciencedirect.com