Tag: claire fraser

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Fun Fact: Breast

Common Use Def: The breast is one of two soft, protruding organs on the upper front of a woman’s torso that secrete milk after birth.

Anatomy Def:  But, the scientific definition rightly includes male and female breasts as both are derived from the same embryonic tissue and diseases occur in the breasts of both sexes.

Outlander Def: Taming-of-the-sea organs? Or, so goes the argument posited by Captain Raines of the Artemis!

Learn about the breast in Anatomy Lesson #51 The Breast – Male and Female.

Anatomy Lesson #51 was not written to be titillating (hah).

Seriously, it was written as a public service. The incidence of breast disease is so high, it behoves one to understand breast structure and function so as to better understand prognosis, disease progression and treatment options should the need arise.

Breast anatomy also helps us understand the diseases plaguing the breast: cancer, cysts, fibrocystic changes, mastitis, gynecomastia, to name a few.

The worst: Though breast cancer in males is relatively rare, only 1 per 1000 adult males, the incidence of invasive breast cancer in US women is 1 in 8!!!

Read about the breast in Outlander books; there’s a mess of quotes to choose from! <G> This one is particularly special…  From Voyager, the reunion between Claire and A. Malcolm:

A little reluctantly, I took his hand, and stepped out of the inadequate shelter of the remains of my dress. He drew me gently in, to stand between his knees as he sat on the bed. Then he kissed me softly, once on each breast, and laid his head between them, his breath coming warm on my bare skin. “Your breast is like ivory,” he said softly, the word almost “breest” in the Highland Scots that always grew broad when he was truly moved. His hand rose to cup one breast, his fingers tanned into darkness against my own pale glow. 

See Captain Raines inform Claire that if a woman bears her breasts before a tempest, the seas will be calmed in. Huh??? Industriously chewing (tough mutton?), the Captain waxes poetic about the sailing superstition:

“After all, on this ship, your very presence is ill luck… By rights, you and Mistress MacKimmie should this moment be bare breasted! … A woman’s bare breasts calm an angry sea… The figure head at the bow, she bears her breasts for you, and prevents us being subject to any curses.”

Claire is not amused. Not on Jamie’s watch!!! 

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

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Photo Credit: Outlander ep 307, The doldrums

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Fun Fact: brachialis

Anatomy def: Brachialis is a muscle of the upper arm; covering lower half of humerus (upper arm bone) and ending on ulna (forearm bone), it flexes (bends) the elbow joint.

Outlander def: Brachialis, part and parcel of the big, beautiful bulge on Jamie’s right arm. The Highland Hero’s eye scans the sky for stormy weather. It’s gonna be a bad one – best batten down the hatches!

Learn about brachialis muscle in Anatomy Lesson #20, Arms! Arms! Arms! – Redux!

Contrary to popular opinion, biceps is NOT the most powerful flexor of the elbow joint. This honor goes to – drum roll – brachialis! Believe it or not, brachialis generates roughly 50% more power than biceps during elbow flexion. Truth!

Puir brachialis, lying deep and over shadowed by the honking biceps, it doesn’t get its fair share of attention from muscle builders or Outlander lovers.  

Read about arm muscles in Voyager book. Couldn’t find a quote for Jamie, but there is a splendid one of Claire as she assess her assets, <G> before venturing through the stones once more. Just try to remember —brachialis, that step-sister deep to biceps, performs MOST of the work during elbow flexion!

Dropping the towel, I looked myself over. Flexed my arms, raised them overhead, checking for bagginess. None; biceps and triceps all nicely defined, deltoids neatly rounded and sloping into the high curve of the pectoralis major. I turned slightly to one side, tensing and relaxing my abdominals—obliques in decent tone, the rectus abdominis flattening almost to concavity.

See the impressive bulge created by Jamie’s biceps and brachialis in Starz, Episode 313, Eye of the Storm!

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

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Photo Credit: Sony/Starz

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Fun Fact: os nasale

Starz episode 306, A. Malcolm

Anatomy def: The ossa nasale are small paired bones forming the bridge of nose. These support the softer cartilage sides and tip of nose.

Outlander def: Delicate nose bones in peril as arduous sweethearts bump-thump: Jamie’s hard head meets Claire’s delicate bridge of nose. Och! What a memorable moment for the two lovers, underscoring 20 years of absence!!! 

Learn about ossa nasale in Anatomy Lesson #28, Claire’s Nose – The Savvy Sniffer!

Diana’s books are replete with examples of Claire sniffing out all manner of splendors, offenders and defenders! Intact ossa nasale provide the very best nasal architecture for her (and us) to sample odors, smells, scents, aromas, fragrances, reeks, stinks, miasmas, whiffs, flavors, fetors, airs, aurae, stenches and funks. Claire’s savvy sniffer does ‘em all!

Read about Claire’s ossa nasale in Voyager book. The two-decades, long-awaited moment is interrupted with a head-to-nose kebby-lebby!

My nose hit his forehead with a sickening crunch. My eyes watered profusely as I rolled away from him, clutching my face. “Ow!”

“Christ, have I hurt ye, Claire?” Blinking away the tears, I could see his face, hovering anxiously over me. “No,” I said stupidly. “My nose is broken, though, I think.” “No, it isn’t,” he said, gently feeling the bridge of my nose. “When ye break your nose, it makes a nasty crunching sound, and ye bleed like a pig. It’s all right.” 

I felt gingerly beneath my nostrils, but he was right; I wasn’t bleeding. The pain had receded quickly, too. As I realized that, I also realized that he……

Psst….for the rest of this passage,….. read the book! <G>

See Och! See Jamie’s head smack the bridge of Claire’s nose and Claire grip her ossa nasale in Outlander, episode 306, A. Malcolm! Laddie, yer heid is as hard as an iron pot, or so says your sister, Jenny! ?

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

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Photo Credit: Sony/Starz