Read about canine teeth in Diana’s first two books, Outlander and Dragonfly in Amber.
The smile had not left Randall’s features since Jamie’s appearance. Now it broadened, enough to show the pointed dog teeth. “Well, that’s a bit better.” The pressing hand left my chest to return to the swelling flies of his breeches. “I was engaged when you arrived, my dear fellow. You’ll forgive me if I get on with what I was doing before I attend to you. (Out)
“Ah. Yes, madonna. They are wolves. Very old wolves.” He lifted down one of the skulls, handling it with reverent care. The snout was long and canid, with heavy canines and broad carnassial teeth. The sagittal crest rose stark and commanding from the back of the skull, testimony to the heavy muscles of the brawny neck that had once supported it. (DIA)
“James Fraser,” I hissed between clenched teeth. “If you touch that boy, you’ll certainly never share my bed again!” Jamie raised one eyebrow. His canines gleamed briefly in the firelight. “Well, that’s a serious threat, to an unprincipled voluptuary such as myself, but I dinna suppose I can consider my own interests in such a situation. War’s war, after all.” The pistol, which had been allowed to fall, began to rise once more. (DIA)
See BJR’s dog teeth in action as he bites Jamie’s arm during their desperate duel (Starz episode 206, Best Laid Schemes). Well, what else can one expect of this cunning carnivorous Captain? Randall spits on the Code Duello!
Or, see Dougal’s canines chomp-chomp Jamie’s hand during their final fatal fight (Starz episode 213, Dragonfly in Amber). Biting his nephew? What would Colum say about his MacKenzie War Lord? No much, as Big Bro has left the building.
Welcome anatomy students to another exciting session! Today’s Anatomy Lesson #42 is, The Larynx. Some folks think the larynx only generates “The Voice” (Christina, CeeLo, Blake and Adam, notwithstanding). While this is certainly true, it also serves two other critical functions. Stay tuned for the fascinating saga of laryngeal (adj.) anatomy.
As always, Starz images and Diana’s book quotes are sprinkled throughout to make our studies more endearing. A couple of book spoilers appear, meaning the quotes are from books that have not yet been filmed; these will be preceded by a red flag warning for those who prefer to skip!
First, the sad-bad news. I waited for Starz to depict Dougal’s Demise after a reader asked more than a year ago for a lesson on the voice! I waited patiently because Uncle D’s Death as described in Dragonfly in Amber book is a perfect lead-in for a larynx lesson. Then, horror of all horrors – Starz episode 213, Dragonfly in Amber – didn’t follow the book! Och!
BOOK QUOTE: Dragonfly in Amber describes Jamie’s and Dougal’s shocking Fight with Fate, involving a knife to the throat and a struggle with voice:
A shift, and a jerk, a sudden grunt of effort, one of pain. Dougal stepped back, staggering, face congested and pouring sweat, the hilt of the dagger socketed at the base of his throat… There was a terrible sound from Dougal, a sound of shock and stifled breath… The big body went limp, then spasmed, sliding out of Jamie’s grasp. Dougal lay crumpled on the floor, muscles jerking with involuntary contractions, struggling like a fish out of water. His head was pillowed on Jamie’s thigh. One heave brought his face into view. It was contorted, and dark red, eyes gone to slits. His mouth moved continuously, saying something, talking with great force—but without sound, save the bubbling rasp from his ruined throat.
Imagine my dismay as the Starz scene unfolds wherein Jamie + Claire stab Dougal in the chest – not in the neck! What? To quote Rabbie Burns: “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men – gang aft a-gley.” Ah, well, tha sin mar sin!
Many a time, Jamie casts a wary eye at Dougal (Starz episode 101, Sassenach) and for good reason. Mayhap, the ruadh laddie kens that a battle to the death is the only way a male will prevail? One of these fellows must go!
Now for the lesson: Let’s start at the beginning with how to pronounce the word, larynx. Well, it is pronounced ler-inks, not lar-nix. Emma does a swell job, so check this out:
Commonly known as the voice box, the larynx is a splendid structure of startling complexity. A hollow tube with stiff walls, the adult larynx (Image A – orange) lies in the neck where it links pharynx or back of throat (Image A – green) with trachea or windpipe (Image A – trachea).
Just so you are aware, pharynx is pronounced fare-inks, not far-nix. One of my anatomy profs used to declare: “if you say lar-nix one more time, I will rip out your far-nix” (in those days, professors were minor gods)!
The human larynx serves three critical functions:
Maintains the airway so air enters and leaves the lungs during each breath cycle
Excludes food, drink and other unwanted stuff from entering trachea
Creates phonation – “the voice” and other sounds
We will learn how the larynx manages these important functions. But first, the anatomy!
Image A
General Anatomy of Larynx:
A vertical, midline section through the larynx reveals its considerable length, extending from C3 (third cervical) vertebra (Image B – red arrow) through C6 vertebra (Image B – blue arrow). In case you forgot, back in February 2015, we learned about cervical vertebrae in Anatomy Lesson #12, “Claire’s Neck” or “The Ivory Tower.”
The adult larynx is supported by a rigid skeleton of cartilage, ligaments and membranes (Image B – cartilages named). Numerous intrinsic and extrinsic muscles move these cartilages.
The larynx is a dynamic structure that changes throughout life, from the newborn state through old age. It is also a secondary sex organ undergoing marked changes during puberty. Male and female larynges (pl.) respond differently to the internal hormonal milieu, a quality known as sexual dimorphism (Anatomy Lesson #39 “Dem Bones – the Human Skeleton”). We will return to these issues later in this lesson.
Image B
Laryngeal Skeleton:
The laryngeal (adj.) skeleton features nine cartilages: three large, unpaired and three small, paired. Only unpaired cartilages (epiglottis, thyroid and cricoid) are visible from a front (anterior) view (Image C). The rounded, curved tip of epiglottis peeks above the hyoid bone. The thyroid cartilage is shaped like a helmet visor; two broad plates (laminae) meet anteriorly at a pronounced angle, the laryngeal prominence (Image C – red arrow). The cricoid cartilage is a complete ring, thin in front but expanded in back.
Image C
Laryngeal cartilages do not float, they are anchored by strong connective tissue elements (Image D). The thyroid cartilage hangs from the hyoid bone (Anatomy Lesson #12, “Claire’s Neck” or “The Ivory Tower”) via a tough thyrohyoid membrane. Cricoid and thyroid cartilages are united by the cricothyroid ligament and a cricotracheal ligament (Image D – red arrow) binds cricoid cartilage to trachea. Although not shown in Image D, ligaments also hold the epiglottis in a mostly vertical position. The trachea is not part of the larynx but its wall is also formed of cartilage rings (see below).
Image D
WARNING! The first RED FLAG means a book spoiler quote is next! Skip, if need be.
BOOK SPOILER: Larynx and hyoid bone appear in Diana’s 9th book, Written in My Own Heart’s Blood. An important character’s name is omitted to “protect the innocent!”
McEwan’s broad fingers were cold on his neck; he felt the icy touch delicate on his skin as it traced the line of the rope scar, then firmer as the healer prodded gently round his damaged larynx… McEwan fitted his hand snugly round _______ neck, just under the chin… “Do you know what a hyoid bone is?” “If I had to guess, it’s something in the throat.” “Why?” … “It’s just there,” the healer said, pressing with his thumb, high up under _______ chin. “And if it had been here”—he moved the thumb down an inch—“ you’d have been dead, sir. It’s a fragile wee bone. Easy to strangle someone by breaking it—with your thumbs or a rope.”
Question #1: Do any of the above structures appear as mounds at the skin surface? Hyoid bone, epiglottis and cricoid cartilages are not visible because these are embedded too deeply or are too small to create a skin mound. But, we often see a bulge that moves during swallowing, talking, singing, etc.; the bulge is created by the laryngeal prominence of the thyroid cartilage, commonly known as the Adam’s apple (Image E). Great tattoo, although most of it lies below the laryngeal prominence. Ha!
Try This: Place two fingers over your laryngeal prominence – don’t press hard as it causes discomfort. If you cannot find it, gently tilt head backwards and feel a firm mound under your fingers. Now, straighten the neck and feel the prominence lift as you prepare to swallow and fall as the act completes. Now cough or sing a few bars and see what happens. I hope you are surprised by its mobility. Remember, this is only a small part of the larynx; much more is happening that you cannot feel.
Try This: Next, tilt head back again and run fingers down the laryngeal prominence until you feel soft tissue; this is the cricothyroid ligament. Below it lies a thin hard line of cricoid cartilage. Below this is another bit of soft tissue, the cricotracheal ligament binding cricoid cartilage to first tracheal ring. From this point, the trachea continues down the throat and into the thorax (Anatomy Lesson #15 “Crouching Grants – Hidden Dagger”). Appreciate that the larynx is solidly built and well-anchored.
Clinical Correlation: If an “owner” desires a smaller laryngeal prominence, then chondrolaryngoplasty is available. The neck is entered via surgical incision and the prominence reduced by shaving. Erroneously called a tracheal shave (trachea isn’t involved), it usually leaves a modest scar.
Image E
Time for a Jamie fix! Jamie’s laryngeal prominence is clearly visible (Starz episode 210, Prestonpans – red arrow) as, tilting his head back with immense pleasure, he relieves a full bladder! Hot-shot lad that he is, he attempts to win a bet by peeing into a pot without looking. Splish-splash! Odds?
BOOK QUOTE: Diana describes the delightful scene featuring Jamie’s Adam’s apple (Dragonfly in Amber):
Grinning at the success of his joke, he raised his kilt further, grasped his clearly visible weapon and took careful aim. He squinted his eyes, bent his knees slightly, and his fingers tightened their grip. Nothing happened. “It’s a misfire!” crowed one of the English. “His powder’s wet!… Jamie squinted dubiously at his equipment, bringing on a fresh riot of howls and catcalls. Then his face cleared. “Ha! My chamber’s empty, that’s all!” He snaked an arm toward the array of bottles on the wall, cocked an eyebrow at me, and when I nodded, took one down and upended it over his open mouth. The water splashed over his chin and onto his shirt, and his Adam’s apple bobbed theatrically as he drank. “Ahhh.”
Back to Anatomy: The best way to see remaining laryngeal cartilages is flip the structure into a posterior view (Image F). The odd, leaf-like epiglottis is fully visible from this perspective; it’s curved superior surface peeking above the hyoid bone. Thyroid cartilage, visor-shaped, is incomplete, posteriorly. The cricoid cartilage expands in back, much like the dome of a signet (class) ring. Perched atop the cricoid are the important, paired arytenoid cartilages, each shaped like a three-sided pyramid. Atop each arytenoid is another small curved cartilage (corniculate) which we will ignore along with a couple of other tiny cartilages. Although difficult to visualize from this perspective, a lumen (channel) runs vertically through the center of the laryngeal cartilages; remember, this lumen is lined with mucous membrane.
Posteriorly, the tracheal rings are incomplete, but the C-shaped cartilages are united by strong connective tissue sheets. This brilliant engineering feat allows food blobs and globs to slide and glide down the esophagus (see Image B – esophagus behind trachea) without getting hung up on tracheal rings.
Image F
One last structural component to consider are the paired vocal ligaments. A vertical section of the larynx, through the midline, reveals internal anatomy of the left side of larynx (Image G). Locate the left vocal ligament, a band of elastic tissue reaching from thyroid cartilage in front to arytenoid cartilage, in back. This arrangement is duplicated on the right side. More about the vocal ligaments below.
Image G
Intrinsic Laryngeal Muscles: Intrinsic muscles arise and insert within the larynx itself. There are 6 (8 by some counts) pairs of intrinsics; thin, tiny muscles moving various laryngeal cartilages. I can bear witness that these are very difficult to dissect! One of a pair of intrinsic muscles is clearly visible from a side view (Image H – red arrows). Naming intrinsic muscles will bog us down. Suffice it to say, the one in Image H is the cricothyroid, so named because it arises from cricoid cartilage and inserts on thyroid cartilage. Get the idea? Grand!
Image H
Remaining intrinsic muscles are visible from a posterior view (Image I). These are strategically oriented to move the various laryngeal cartilages in specific ways and again, named by the cartilages they attach to or the function they perform.
Image I
The following is a short list of how intrinsic muscles act on various laryngeal cartilages.
Rock thyroid cartilage forward to lengthen vocal ligaments and deepen the voice (Image J – top)
Rotate arytenoid cartilages together to open airway and allow airflow (Image J – middle, left)
Rotate arytenoid cartilages apart to close airway and stop airflow (Image J – middle, right)
Narrow the airway to reduce airflow (Image J – lower, left)
Ergo, these intricate adjustments, caused by muscle contraction, allow nuanced movements of laryngeal cartilages to manage airflow and to produce and modulate sound. And, these amazing, small muscles contract very rapidly with great capacity for prolonged work, as any singer can verify. Lastly, the lower right image shows muscle fibers stretched from thyroid to arytenoid cartilages; these tiny muscles lie inside the vocal folds (see below).
Image J
Extrinsic Laryngeal Muscles: Not only do intrinsic muscles move the larynx, eight pair of strap-like extrinsic muscles also effect laryngeal position. Extrinsic laryngeal muscles are so-named because they take origin from or insert into body parts outside the larynx. Located in the neck or beneath the mandible, extrinsic muscles connect mandible (Anatomy Lesson #26, “Jamie’s Chin – Manly Mentus”), sternum, scapula and skull to thyroid cartilage and hyoid bone. Read more about these muscles in Anatomy Lesson #12 “Claire’s Neck” or “The Ivory Tower.”
Image K identifies extrinsic laryngeal muscles but more importantly, shows upward or downward directional pulls (red arrows); four pair of extrinsic muscles depress (lower) and four pair elevate (lift) hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage. Further, the pulls are not strictly upwards or downwards. Rather, the upper four pair of muscles pull hyoid bone up and forward or up and backward; the lower four pair of muscles pull hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage down and forward or down and backward. The larynx, suspended from that wee hyoid bone, is mostly carried along for the ride!
Thus, these many muscles and their attachments allow for nuanced changes of laryngeal position during talking, laughing, screaming, singing, coughing, clicking, sneezing, snorting, swallowing, etc. Impressive!
Image K
Thyroid Gland: Remove the extrinsic muscles and we see an important and intimate relationship between larynx and the highly vascular thyroid gland. The bilobed thyroid gland straddles the larynx, its lobes connected by an isthmus (bridge) of thyroid tissue overlying the second and third tracheal rings (Image L).
Image L
Vocal Folds: Next, let’s consider vocal folds. Vocal folds, commonly known as vocal cords, are paired folds of mucous membrane, each containing a vocal ligament (see Image G) and the tiny (vocalis) muscle (see image J, lower right).
Looking down the pharynx via laryngoscope (laryngoscopy), true vocal folds appear as pale thin bands (Image M). Below these, are epiglottis and tongue base. Above the folds are bumps created by mucosa overlying arytenoid cartilages. Vocal folds carry out the first and third critical functions listed below:
provide airway
exclude unwanted materials
generate sound
Let’s discuss each of these functions in greater detail.
Provide Airway: As muscles rotate arytenoids together, vocal folds open allowing air to flow through the lumen or glottis (Image M – left side). As other muscles rotate the arytenoids apart, the folds close and air flow slows or stops (Image M – right side). Psst: Just so you know, vocal cords lie horizontally in the neck; their vertical orientation in Image M is how they appear on a screen during laryngoscopy.
Image M
True vocal folds are so named to distinguish them from false folds. Find the false vocal foldsin Image M. False vocal folds do not produce sound but do add resonance to the voice. Two exceptions are Tibetan Chant and Tuvan throat singing, both of these produce an undertone using small spaces (laryngeal ventricles) between true and false vocal folds (ventricles not visible in Image M).
If you find animals endlessly fascinating, get this: Male gorillas and some other primates, such as the gibbon shown in Image N, enlarge their necks by deliberately forcing air into their laryngeal ventricles. The ventricles of some primates are so large, they may extend into the thorax! In most humans, they are small.
Image N
Remember the second crucial function of the larynx? It closes to exclude unwelcome materials. Yep, it discriminates!
Exclude Undesirables: The weird-looking epiglottis helps with the second laryngeal function, to exclude unwanted stuff from the larynx. Here is how it works: During swallowing, hyoid bone lifts and tongue depresses pushing the epiglottis downwards and backwards to cover the laryngeal inlet (Image O – black arrow). This helps prevent food, drink, spit, etc., from entering the larynx as only air is welcome (Image O – white arrow). The epiglottis also has a shape which encourages food and drink to flow around its sides and backwards into the esophagus where it belongs! Does it sometimes, fail? Well, sure, especially if we try to swallow and speak at the same time. In such instances, stuff gets into the larynx , eliciting a paroxysm of coughing! Expel the infidel!
Try this: Wait! Wait! If you have a sensitive gag reflex, don’t try this. Otherwise, do you want to feel the tip of your epiglottis? Here’s how: open mouth wide and relax tongue. Lay one (clean) index finger atop tongue. Slide it gently backward and downward along the tongue surface until you touch the rounded, thin tip of the epiglottis. Don’t gouge it with your fingernail and avoid touching soft palate, sides or back of throat as this initiates the gag reflex! Did you feel it? Good job to those who dared!
Image O
Generate Sounds: Last but not least, vocal folds produce sounds. During phonation, vocal folds open and close, change shape and vibrate. This brief video shows the fluid movements involved in this process – watch until the end, to see and hear the patient sing. The folds are a pale pink V in the still shot below. The tracheal inlet is the dark hole In middle. Mounds near the top are arytenoid cartilages – these move dramatically during the film clip. The thin mobile curl at the bottom of the video is the tip of epiglottis. Oh, and the sticky material coating the vocal folds is mucus, a viscous fluid that lubricates and protects the folds. Hope you watch all of this fascinating footage!
Clinical Correlation: Please understand that if the larynx is blocked or narrowed by trauma, infection, birth defects, cancer, polyps, scar tissue, etc., the impediment must be removed or bypassed to restore the airway. Two sites commonly used for bypass are cricothyroid membrane and trachea. An opening through the cricothyroid membrane (see Image D) is a cricothyrotomy or cricothyroidotomy. An opening between tracheal rings, is a tracheotomy; if a breathing tube is inserted into the opening, then it is termed a tracheostomy (Image P).
Tracheotomy is not new as it was depicted on Egyptian artifacts dating as far back as 3600 BCE! Here’s an startling tidbit: Alexander the Great purportedly saved a soldier from suffocation by making an incision into the man’s trachea with the point of his sword! Gah! I don’t recall seeing Colin Farrel do that in Alexander.
Image P
Red flag and wee black dog are back. Must be another book spoiler! Best skip if you haven’t read ahead of Starz episodes!
BOOK SPOILER: This quote is very pertinent to our lesson, from Herself’s fifth book, The Fiery Cross, as it mentions structures and procedures covered in this lesson. Yay, Diana!
A cricothrotomy? Fast, and requiring no great skill, but difficult to keep open—and it might not be sufficient to relieve the obstruction.
I massaged the isthmus of the thyroid, pushing it out of the way, hard toward his head, and with my other hand, pressed the knife blade down into the fourth tracheal cartilage.
The cartilage here was U-shaped, the esophagus behind it soft and vulnerable; I must not stab too deeply. I felt the fibrous parting of skin and fascia, resistance, then the soft pop as the blade went in. There was a sudden loud gurgle, and a wet kind of whistling noise; the sound of air being sucked through blood.
… she could hear the faint whistle of air through the tube in his throat. Claire had commandeered Mr. Caswell’s imported English pipe, ruthlessly breaking off the amber stem. Rinsed hastily with alcohol, it was still stained with tobacco tar, but seemed to be functioning well enough.
Way to Hustle, Claire: Claire assiduously avoids cutting the thyroid gland isthmus, otherwise, blood would quickly flood the surgical field. She also likely pressed her knife through the soft connective tissue between 3rd and 4th tracheal rings. And, she performed a tracheostomy, inserting a pipe stem into the tracheal incision to serve as a breathing tube. Yay, Claire!
Newborn Larynx: At lesson start, I promised to consider age- and sex-related differences of the larynx. Here we go! The larynx is a tiny organ in the newborn which sits much higher in the neck (C2-C3 vertebrae) than in the adult (Image Q – infant left, adult right). The higher position of an infant larynx allows epiglottis and soft palate to touch during suckling (Image Q – left side). This important juxtaposition enables the infant, an obligate nose-breather, to simultaneously suckle and breathe. Otherwise, they would have to swallow, stop, take a breath, stop – repeat. Exhausting for such a tiny body!
Many a nursing mam knows that if her wee bairn bites down (ouch!), she can stop this by gently closing off its nostrils – the babe must let go to breathe!
It should be noted that although infant larynges are much smaller than those of adults, their vocal folds and higher lung pressure enable them to produce very audible howls, yowls and growls!
Childhood Larynx: The larynx continues to grow throughout childhood in proportion to the remaining body with no significant differences between male and female larynges.
Image Q
Adolescence: Then, puberty raises its provoking head, accompanied by some fascinating changes! Both sexes experience facial development, descent of the larynx in the neck, increased circumference of chest wall and greater lung capacity, all of which typically deepen and strengthen the voice. But, the larynx of a pubescent male is also exposed to a flood of androgens (mainly testosterone) which induces growth of laryngeal cartilages.
Adult Male Larynx: By 20 y.o., the average male larynx is about 40% taller and vocal folds about 60% longer than the female’s (Table A). Plates of the male thyroid cartilage meet at a 90º angle making the thyroid eminence more prominent than that of the 120º female angle (i.e., female angles are more open, so eminence is less pronounced). Male intrinsic muscles become larger and stronger and vocal folds thicker and longer leading to a drop of about one octave in voice pitch. These differences illustrate sexual dimorphism of the larynx; its responsiveness to hormones qualifying it as a secondary sex organ.
Adult Female Larynx: But, did you know that female vocal folds also respond to hormonal changes? Puberty causes the female voice to drop about 1/3 octave. But, female vocal folds also respond to hormone (progesterone and estrogens) fluctuations during each menstrual cycle becoming more edematous in the latter half which often lends the voice a breathy or husky quality. After menopause, the female voice becomes even lower due to increased circulating androgens.
After 20, the larynges of both sexes remain stable until about midlife when cartilages begin to ossify (bone replaces cartilage). Ossification is not usually a problem but one of my young readers (<20 y.o.) has ossified laryngeal cartilages and they are problematic for this person.
An astute student might ask, why would nature make the male voice deeper and stronger? Well, scientists have some suggestions about that: Perhaps, male voices have deepened over the course of evolution to signal dominance and/or to increase the speaker’s attractiveness. Studies do confirm that vocal frequencies correlate with a speaker’s hormonal status – which may or may not be attractive in a potential mate. Gals tend to like Jamie’s baritone voice. Mmphm!
Table A Mean Measurements of Male and Female Larynxes
MALES
FEMALES
Height
44 mm
36 mm
Transverse diameter
43 mm
41 mm
Front-back diameter
36 mm
26 mm
Circumference
136 mm
112 mm
Sexual Dimorphism: Let’s turn to all things Outlander to witness sexual differences of the larynx. Here, in Outlander Starz episode 202, Not in Scotland Anymore, we see a near perfect example of the female Adam’s apple – or is it an Eve’s apple? Bwahahaha!
A small bump of the laryngeal prominence appears on Claire’s lovely ivory tower as she casts stink eye at stinky Duke! Love, love, love those earrings – perfect accessory for her swan-like neck!
Compare and contrast Claire’s gentle laryngeal prominence with that of a typical male. Weil, now, perhaps not entirely typical, but certainly impressive! Jamie obligingly lifts his chin to reveal his prominent Adam’s apple (Starz episode 107, The Wedding). Lots of testosterone plus Claire help him have a vera fine time. Whinny and snort!
The Voice: Let’s end this lesson with a brief discussion of The Voice…No, not the TV show! – just voice in general, the third important function of the vocal folds. Phonation is arguably less critical than maintaining the airway, but very important for communication and quality of life.
Roman physician Galen (130 – c. 200 CE) declared the larynx as the “first and supremely most important instrument of the voice.” Was he correct? Yes, because sounds are normally generated by vibrations of vocal folds and action of laryngeal muscles (side note: people lacking functional vocal folds can be taught esophageal speech and/or use of an electrolarynx). However, sound quality is nuanced by numerous other factors including:
Lung capacity
Extrinsic laryngeal muscles
Tongue movement
Lip action
Mouth anatomy
Pharynx, cheeks and soft palate changes
Paranasal sinus configuration
The cumulative effect of these factors grants to humans a voice that can be modulated to an amazing degree; never more evident than during singing. Consider the movements of lips, tongue, soft palate, etc. in this wonderful MRI of a man singing opera. The movements are astounding. Try to locate epiglottis and arytenoids. I hope you enjoy watching this internal byplay on the screen!
Question #2: Readers have asked why our taped voices and spoken voices sound differently to our own ears? Answer: Taped voices are recorded via sound waves traveling through air before reaching our ears. The spoken voice creates vibrations transmitted to the inner ear (Anatomy Lesson # 25, “If a Tree Falls – The Ear”) mostly via bone and soft tissues, lending the voice a less tinny quality. Most folks seem to favor the spoken voice over the taped version. Make sense?
Final Outlander Fixes: Happily, Outlander gives us many treacherous throat and larynx scenes to consider!
Barely out of the chute, Claire is confronted with Captain of Dragoons’ blade at her neck (Starz episode 101, Sassenach). Good way to lose a Lovely Larynx! Fortunately for our nimble nurse, his threat is only virtual. The man’s got skills, ye ken?
Puir not-a-wet-nurse Claire doesna get a break in episode 101. Next, Dougal jerks her around and tells her to stay with the rest of his troop of hairy-merry lads or he will obligingly slit her throat (Starz episode 101, Sassenach)! Lovely larynx at risk, again!
Remember the Sadist’s Shave? Captain Jack-Rat’s larynx is fully exposed to a vera sharp blade (Starz episode 106, The Garrison Commander). Too bad Corporal Milksop’s hand didna slip. Would have saved team Fraser a world of grief!
Oops. Flip-flop and the tables are turned. Corporal Hawkins’ hand DID slip – now, he is under the blade, getting the absolute worst: a dry-neck shave (Starz episode 106, The Garrison Commander)! Vera unpleasant, especially at the hands of the foul fearsome fiend!
BOOK QUOTE: Now, a few fabulous apropos lines about a dearly departed larynx from Dragonfly in Amber book:
Mary sneezed, and wiped her nose hastily with a fold of her plaid. She stared at Murtagh, eyes wide and baffled. I gazed down at the bulging saddle-bag, feeling a sudden deep chill that owed nothing to the weather outside. But it was Hugh Munro’s widow who sank to her knees, and with steady hands opened the bag and drew out the head of the Duke of Sandringham.
In Starz episode 211, Vengeance is Mine, Jamie, Claire and contrary-Mary witness Sandringham, forever separated from his smooth-speaking larynx. No more mocking jibes from this oily opportunist. Sure and true, Murtagh’s ax seeks its mark!
Diana, author of both Starz episode 211 and Dragonfly inAmber book, offers two different routes to the Duke’s Demise although the outcome is identical…. grand example of “the end justifies the means?”
The Duke, he lost his larynx,
Along with his pharynx.
The ax performed a hi-jinx.
Murtagh’s work is done!
(Let’s hear it for the Godfather!)
Final voice Issue: According to 13 August 2016, New Scientist, and Buzz Feed,Appen, a voice recognition firm working for Google, a call for help has been posted on Reddit’s Edinburgh page for people with Scottish accents to submit recordings of themselves reading certain phrases to help train its software! Users with certain accents – particularly Scottish – have complained that voice recognition systems such as those used by Good Now and Apple’s Siri struggle to understand them. Here is a great comment to illustrate the dilemma. Well, at least Siri got “street” right! Am I right?
I hope you enjoyed learning about the incredible human larynx. Give a brief salute the next time you take a breath or utter a no-no word! Have a wonderful breath-taking day.
Welcome budding anatomists to my 2016 Scotland Outlander tour, Part 2 (here is Part 1). As before, Starz images and book quotes are sprinkled amid the travelogue. A few spoilers from Diana’s books are included but I will alert you to major ones so you can skip if need be. Just look for this book kitteh…that’s your major spoiler cue (there are minor ones too).
Let’s get right to it!
Returning to my travel saga, we visited a memorial (Photo A) in the form of a massive cairn honoring The Black Watch, a.k.a. The Highland Watch or The Watch. The monument is topped with a statue of Private Farquhar Shaw dressed in the original uniform of the Black Watch Regiment.
The Watch was originally commissioned in 1667 by King Charles II who authorized clan chiefs to raise independent companies “to be a constant guard for securing the peace in the Highlands” and to “watch upon the braes.” Members of the Watch wore dark tartans to distinguish them from the redcoats and thus became known the “Freiceadan Dubh” or “The Black Watch.”
Later, The Watch morphed into the 42nd Royal Highlander, a foot company that fought with valor in many conflicts including Culloden, Fort Ticonderoga, Napoleonic Wars, and Waterloo!
Photo A
You recall The Watch, right? We first met them burning a cottage and stealing goods and chickens from suspected redcoat sympathizers (Starz episode 105, Rent).
BOOK SPOILER: This reference to The Watch does not appear in Outlander episodes. The next quote comes from Outlander book; skip if you do not want to read it:
“It’s the Watch,” he said, nodding back in the direction of the inn. “We’re safe enough, but I thought we’d as soon be a bit further away.” I had heard of the famous Black Watch, that informal police force that kept order in the Highlands, and heard also that there were other Watches, each patrolling its own area, collecting “subscriptions” from clients for the safeguarding of cattle and property.
The Watch briefly re-emerges at the end of Starz, episode 112, Lallybroch, as leader Taran MacQuarrie holds a pistol to Jamie’s head. They’re baaaack! Taran, don’t you dare shoot our beloved lad!
You may also recall that in Starz episode 113, The Watch, Jamie joins Taran and his men on a raid. Instead, horrible Horrocks set up an ambush where Jamie and MacQuarrie are taken prisoner by the redcoats.
BOOK SPOILER! Starz episodes 112 and 113 deviate in the depiction of The Watch as presented in the books. Skip these next sentences and two quotes if you don’t want to know the alternative reality!
In Outlander book, Jamie is betrayed by his own tenant, Ronald MacNab. The Watch takes Jamie prisoner and turns him over to the redcoats to collect the price on his head. This is how he ends up in BJR’s beastly grasp! Ian explains to Claire and Jenny:
“Jamie,” he gasped. “We met the Watch near the mill. Waiting for us. They knew we were coming.” My stomach lurched. “Is he alive?” He nodded, panting for breath. “Aye. Not wounded, either. They took him to the west, toward Killin.
Claire reflects back on that terrifying moment in this excerpt from Diana’s second book, Dragonfly in Amber:
The hair prickled on the back of my neck, despite the heat of the day. Ronald MacNab was the tenant who had betrayed Jamie to the men of the Watch a year before, the man who had died for his treachery within a day of its being found out.
Near The Watch monument stands the impressive “General Wade’s Bridge” as it crosses the River Tay (Photo B). An architectural work of art, this stone bridge was built in 1733 by General Wade as part of some 40 bridges and 250 miles of new roads across the Highlands in the aftermath of the 1715 Jacobite uprising. It sports arches, parapets, and obelisks and, given the era, was very expensive to build (over £4,000). The bridges and roads were designed for military purposes to provide improved routes between Highlands and Lowlands, and ensure that government troops could move quickly to suppress any future Jacobite rebellions. Ironically, the new roads were of most use to Bonnie Prince Charlie during the 1745 Jacobite uprising – at least at first.
SORT OF SPOILER! Ever the historian, Diana mentions General Wade’s historic efforts in her fourth book, The drums of Autumn. You might skip the next quote if you haven’t read the book. No spoilers as to who are the “he” and the “she” of the quote!
He had carried her through the summer-green glens and rock-lined gorges without a slip, taking her higher and higher along the good roads made by the English general Wade fifty years before, and the bad roads beyond the General’s reach, splashing through brushy burns and climbing up to the places where the roads dwindled away to nothing more than a red deer’s track across the moor.
The incredible Wade bridge was designed by Scottish architect, William Adam, and some 300 years later, is still used by today’s traffic despite it being designed to bear lighter loads; we drove over it. The bridge was also build mostly by Scots laborers. Pretty amazing engineering feat. Way to go, lads!
Photo B
Clearly not the same bridge but of similar design, Dougal’s rent party rides over a stone arched bridge near Castle Leoch (Starz episode 109, The Reckoning). Yep, Jamie feels very uneasy after giving Claire a good hiding for not staying put. He thought a sword belt would giver her a clearer understanding of the meaning of keeping hid. But, as a newly minted hubby, he had precious little experience with a wife, especially one as spirited as Claire! Ye misjudged the fallout over that one, Jamie. Only a dirk at your throat and some major TLC is gonna settle that trauma drama! Man up, lad!
We motored the same day to beautiful Loch Rannoch, a large east-to-west oriented lake of the highlands (Photo C). Not just another pretty face, it also features in a Starz Outlander episode.
Photo C
On the bonny banks of this Loch (Starz episode 105, Rent), Claire and Ned quote verses by the English poet, John Donne (1572-1631):
ABSENCE, hear thou my protestation
Against thy strength,
Distance, and length;
Do what thou canst for alteration:
For hearts of truest mettle
Absence doth join, and Time doth settle.
Their pastoral poetry recitation is cut short by Dougal’s men encouraging innocent Willie (we miss ye lad!) to engage in Biblical relations with his sister! What? Claire is a bit weirded out by that one but Ned explains: this is Willie’s first time on the road and he sits at the bottom of the pack!
On the bonny banks of this Loch, Claire treats a hacking Ned Gowan – she would have him smoke a pipe for a cough? Well, the pipe contains thornapple (Jimson weed), an herbal treatment for asthma. It helps. Yay, nurse Claire strikes again!
Our next stop was an 18th century thatched village at The Highland Folk Museum, a large open air preserve of ancient buildings designed to demonstrate life of an earlier Scotland. The museum sits on 80 acres of lush, green land surrounded by the Cairngorm mountains. The village itself is a cluster of various cottages and a stable – peaceful and quiet, radiating the texture of a by-gone era (Photo D).
Photo D
Based on an ancient settlement (Badenoch of Easter Riatts), the buildings were recreated as accurately as possible. Thatched roofs, structural timbers, stone foundations, and turf and stone walls gave the feeling that we, too, had travelled back through the stones (Photo E). But, the most thrilling fact about this historical settlement: Outlander used the village (2014) to film scenes for Starz episode 105, Rent.
Photo E
Stepping into the central green, I was able to get a full view of this large cottage and the central green. Ancient wooden tools stand on display (Photo F). Love the mossy stone walls and the wooden crib in the foreground!
Photo F
Moving closer, the cottage features a stone foundation, sod walls, and thatched roof (Photo G) typical of crofter’s or cottar’s abodes. Thatching in the Highlands did not use water reed (common in Lowlands and England) but rather employed one of the following materials:
Fraoch – heather
Luachair – soft rush
Muran – marram grass
Bun dubh raineach – black foot of bracken
Oat straw
Bealaidh – Scotch broom (Abundant in my neck of the woods!)
Thatch had to be renewed and repaired fairly often although some materials (heather) were more durable than others (Scotch broom).
Photo G
Cottages were typically divided into thirds: one third for livestock, a middle third for living, and a final third reserved for healing, birth, and death – the so-called patch, batch and dispatch area!
The middle living space was compact, dirt-floored, and dim. Furnishings were sparse being limited to plain wooden chairs and tables. A small, peat fire burned in a central rock-lined pit. The pungent smoky air was somewhat relieved by a roof hole to admit rising peat smoke and a little light (Photo H).
SORT OF SPOILER: Skip if you must. Book readers ken that Diana writes about peat fires and cramped living quarters. This quote from Dragonfly in Amber explains living conditions from Claire’s point of view but doesn’t give away plot details:
…While I had been raised under conditions that would strike most people of my time as primitive—often living in tents and mud houses on Uncle Lamb’s field expeditions—still, I wasn’t used to living crowded cheek by jowl with numbers of other people, as was customary here. People ate, slept, and frequently copulated, crammed into tiny, stifling cottages, lit and warmed by smoky peat fires. The only thing they didn’t do together was bathe—largely because they didn’t bathe.
Photo H (Photo by Jonathan Giacalone – John and his wife, Maria, were tour members)
The living area also included a small wooden box bed in which families slept seated upright (Photo I). Yes, you read it correctly! Three to four people shared these cramped frames, a far cry from our king-sized, every-kind-of-imaginable-mattress beds! Why in the world did they sleep this way? Well, for two reasons: they slept upright to ease breathing because the constant peat smoke caused lung disease. They slept in multiples to keep warm which also explains the presence of livestock inside human dwellings; the animals produced a good deal of body heat. Talk about reuse, recycle, and repurpose!
Photo I
Difficult to see inside the dim “patch, batch, and dispatch” area, but the only furnishing was a primitive birthing chair (Photo J – red arrow). Women sat up-right on this stool to deliver a child, historically a preferable position because gravity assists delivery.
Photo J
Outside the cottage stood this knowledgeable interpreter and expert weaver. She kindly and patiently answered questions and responded to comments with droll humor (Photo K). Also, this shot provides a nice close-up view of those early tools leaning against the cottage thatch.
Photo K
I was completely charmed by a pair of gorgeous Scots dumpies (Photo L) who responded to the weaver’s call for corn. An ancient breed some 700 years old, Diana includes them in the storyline of her eighth book, Written in My Own Heart’s Blood.
Dumpies carry a recessive gene that results in some offspring with very short legs and hence the name, dumpy. The regal cock was called Eric – the hen went by a somewhat less elegant name, something ignoble, like gimpy. Puir gal. I am happy to say she got her fair share of the ground corn!
Photo L
Corn? Someone say corn? Corn reminds me of the delightful and bawdy ditty Jamie and the men chanted while traveling the rent-road (Starz episode 105, Rent)! The so-called Miller’s Song, these are the first two stanzas and, yes, it is indeed from the 18th century. The words remind me of Chaucer:
The maid gaed tae the mill by nicht,
Hech hey sae wanton
The maid gaed tae the mill by nicht,
Hech hey sae wanton she,
She swore by moon and stars sae bricht that she would get her corn grund
She would get her corn grund, meal and multure free
Oot then cam the miller’s man,
Hech hey sae wanton
Oot then cam the miller’s man,
Hech hey sae wanton he
He swore he’d do the best he can for tae get her corn grund,
For tae get her corn grund, meal and multure free
Word Translations:
gaed: go
nicht: night
hech: expression of disgust (Jamie and the Rent lads don’t seem all that disgusted)
bricht: bright
oot: out
grund: ground
multure: measure of meal paid to the miller as part of his fee
Although the angle is shifted to the right and the view more expansive, the Rentscene below was shot in the same area as Photo F. Here, Ned Gowan crossly receives two fat pigs and one fine goat as tribute to the Laird (Starz episode 105, Rent). A bored Claire gloomily sits on bags of grain as Jamie helps load goods into the wagon. The stone walls stand at middle left but I don’t spy Eric!
Bored Claire takes a walk and I did too! Moving a little uphill, I am standing almost exactly where Amanda Gillquist takes Claire to meet the women waulking (working) wool (Photo M). The grassy mound at mid-right appears directly behind the women in the rent image below.
SORT OF SPOILER! Again, if you don’t want to read anything from later books, please skip this next quote which explains waulking wool – from Diana’s 7th book, An Echo in the Bone. Mum about who is the “he” of the quote.
So he explained what waulking was: “The women all working together, pushing and pulling and kneading the wet wool cloth to make it tight and waterproof…”
Photo M
Like Dougal’s men, the womenfolk don’t trust Claire. But, add some hot piss mixed with a wee bit of folk song and they are BFF. OK, a potent cup of “our little secret so don’t-tell-the-menfolk” ale also waulks wonders! Hee, hee.
One very elegant cottage housed a loom and large gathering area. Beautifully maintained, the thatched roof is neatly trimmed and the interior sports massive wooden beams (Photo N). I was taken with the neat and tidy sod walls.
Photo N
The interior of this cottage was purportedly used for the infamous “Dougal-strips-Jamie” scene of Starz, episode 105, Rent. Mayhap this is the moment when Murtagh decides that Dougal needs killin’ sooner rather than later! Dougal was one proper dobber in this scene. Actually, this just gives us another chance to oogle Jamie’s manly chest (Anatomy Lesson #4, “Jamie’s Chest” or “The 8th wonder of the world!”). Whew, that anatomy lesson was written looong ago!
The village also includes a stable, the site where Lieutenant Jeremy Foster, in disguise, offers Claire his gentlemanly aid. May I assist you, madam? Feisty Angus snarls for Jeremy to butt out and head home to his mam’s paps. No one delivers insults better than Angus (Anatomy Lesson #41, The Sad Demise of Angus Mhor). We miss ye, too, lad!
Much later, we reunite with a wounded Lieutenant Foster on the Prestonpan battlefield. Dougal praises Jeremy as the only honorable redcoat of Lord Thomas’s staff. Unwisely, the Lieutenant utters a couple of put-Dougal-down comments about the awesomeness of the British army coupled with a war chief should know that and, bingo: Dougal skewers Jeremy with his dirk (Starz episode 210, Prestonpans)! Dougal has a major problem with impulse control. Needs some anger management classes, ASAP!
Leaving the thatched village with renewed memories of past Outlander episodes, we headed for Culloden Moor. Along the way, Highland hills were dotted with numerous small white flowers on thin stalks. Our tour guide, Hugh, explained: the flowers are actually seed heads of bog cotton. Close up, the head is a tuft of fluff that is wonderfully soft and silky (Photo O). In earlier times the silk was used to stuff pillows; 18th century mams sent restless children outdoors to keep them occupied by picking a sackful. The tufts were also used as candlewicks, for paper making, and for wound dressing during World War I.
Photo O
Moving along a small highway, the Highlands displayed marvelous and varied shades of green. We passed numerous stands of mixed forest, supporting both native and foreign species. There are planted stands of Douglas-fir trees (not really firs), native to my area of the globe. Interestingly, both the common and scientific names for Douglas firs were bestowed in honor of a pair of rival Scottish botanists (David Douglas and Archibald Menzies). Aye, it is true!
I was especially taken with the Scots pine, a native conifer of Caledonia forests. This tree has a flat but rounded top unlike our PNW varieties all of which are tapered. These are the dark green trees in the foreground of Photo P. Hugh called them Caledonian pines.
SORT OF SPOILER! Yes, another quote but this one also doesn’t reveal any plot info. The trees reminded me of Claire’s own poignant description of a Highland forest from Outlander book:
The grove was dark, but not still. The pines roared softly to themselves, millions of needles scouring in the wind. Very ancient trees, pines, and eerie in the gloom. Gymnosperms, cone-bearers, winged-seed scatterers, older and sterner by far than the soft-leaved, frail-limbed oaks and aspens.
Diana paints with words, an artist of language!
Photo P
Soon, we arrived at Culloden Moor Visitor’s Center, a beautiful, sleek modern building seated on the open moor. Just looking at the building brought tears to my eyes (Anatomy Lesson #29, “The Eyes Have It” or “the Eyes – Part One.”) and a lump in my throat (Photo Q).
Photo Q
The walkway to the Center is made of plaques engraved with names of supporters. Near the entrance is this wonderful tribute to Diana Gabaldon (photo R) from her long time fan group, The Ladies of Lallybroch. A splendid idea, ladies!
Photo R
The Visitor’s Center was filled with facts and artifacts but I was most impressed with a simple, bare-square room. Visitors quietly filled the room and then the lights dimmed leaving us in total darkness. We waited quietly and then slowly the walls came alive with projections of Jacobites and redcoats before, during, and after the battle. Watching the battle unfold in this manner complete with surround sound was more than moving. The effect was immediate and visceral; as if we were time voyagers, witnesses to the carnage! One Highlander was shot in the eye causing me to recall Rupert’s unfortunate injury (Starz, episode 212, The Hail Mary). There was really no way to photograph events in the square room. Not only was I was too overwhelmed to even think about it, events were unfolding on all four walls at once. No way to capture such an immersing experience!
This plaque from outside the Visitor’s Center shows the Jacobite line (blue flags) facing the redcoat line (red flags). Clearly, the lines are not parallel, a fact contributing to the Jacobite’s defeat (Photo S). More about this in the next post.
Photo S
Let’s end with all things, Diana! One of her latest activities is to lend her gravitas to preserve and protect both Culloden and Rannoch Moor (Photo T). You can read the full article about her commitment at The Press and Journal.
