Human Anatomy taught through the lens of the Outlander books by Diana Gabaldon and the Starz television series
Happy Birthday Sawny Blue Eyes
I may be a dutter,
Or even a nutter,
Embroiled in a true-stew.
He makes us all mutter
And then start to stutter,
As brilliant orbs come into view.
Bread swiped with butter
Sets hearts all aflutter,
Wit’ big eyes of bonny blue!
Thoughts in a clutter
spitter and sputter,
What in the world shall we do?
Our minds in the gutter
Together we utter
“gie that fab-lad his just due!”
Happy Birthday, Jamie!!!!
A deeply grateful,
Outlander Anatomist
Anatomy Def: Penetrating wounds are open wounds that pierce the skin and penetrate underlying tissues.
Outlander Def: One of Claire’s fav wounds. Her nimble fingers, aided with scalpel, extracts a wooden shard from a hapless hand! Murtagh serves as surgical assistant. Go for it, Nurse Sassynach!
Learn more about penetrating wounds in Anatomy Lesson #35, Outlander Owies! – Part One. Two types of penetrating wounds occur. If the penetrating object stays in the body, then it is “just” a penetrating wound; if it passes through the body then it becomes a perforating wound.
Read about a penetrating wound to the thigh of a hapless homme in Diana’s spectacular second big book, Dragonfly in Amber!
A long sliver of wood, flying free of the splintered cartwheel, had driven upward, deep into the thigh… the deeper wound had festered and formed a pocket of pus around the intrusion, buried in the muscle tissue where no surface symptoms were visible.… A little scalpel work to enlarge the entrance wound, a quick grip with a pair of long-nosed forceps, a smooth, forceful pull—and I held up a three-inch sliver of wood, coated with blood and slime.
See Claire’s deft fingers remove the penetrating object and treat the penetrating wound in Starz episode 114, The Search. But, if you want to really get grossed out, watch the extraction of the penetrating object from an infected thigh in Starz episode 203, Useful Occupations and Deceptions – this scene matches the book quote. Terrific special effects!
A deeply grateful,
Outlander Anatomist
Anatomy def: Nasalis is a small muscle of facial expression, one on each side of the nose. To be precise, the muscle’s full name is musculus nasalis; musculus is Latin for “little mouse under the skin,” referring to our muscles. <g> Each nasalis has two parts: one part flares the alae (nostril flaps) and another part constricts the nostrils.
Outlander def: Nose muscles flaring the nostrils of hearty horses and hostile Heilanders!
Learn about the nasalis muscle in Anatomy Lesson #28, The Savvy Sniffer Sniffer – Claire’s Nose Knows!
Read about flaring nostrils in Voyager book. No quotes that match our image, but here is one about Jamie. Just understand that nostrils do not flare unless nasalis muscles are constricted. Herself provides <G>!
Jamie’s lips pressed tight together and his nostrils flared white. Then he whirled on his heel and was gone without speaking. Rapid steps sounded on the boards, and a muffled slam came from the far end of the passage.
Want to know why Jamie’s nostrils flared white? Read the book!
See Angus’ flare his nostrils in Starz episode 210, Prestonpans! This fiesty fiend’s nasalis muscles are fully contracted. He smells those Redcoats and he doesna like the stench. Angus’ nostrils are so flared, they produce white lines aside his alae! Do you see them? Thank you Angus, for being a perfect anatomical model!
A deeply grateful,
Outlander Anatomist