Tag: Ian Murray

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Fun Fact: Tragus

Anatomy def: Tragus is a small lump of cartilage on the external ear; it projects downward partially covering the opening of the ear canal. 

Outlander def: Ian’s tragus is definitely perked when he is captured during the night raid to save Roger-Dodger. He is mighty scart! 

Learn about the tragus in Anatomy Lesson #24, Hear, Here – The Ear.  

The outer ear, or auricle, is the visible, bendable flap situated at each side of the head. Like fingerprints or the venous pattern on the back of our hands, each auricle is unique.  Under its skin is a core of elastic cartilage. The anatomy is detailed, the tragus being one of several bumps, whorls or troughs acting to preferentially filter sounds in the frequency range of human speech.

The tragus projects downward over the opening of the external ear canal. Directly opposite the tragus is the antitragus which projects upward over the opening of the ear canal. Together, they help protect the entrance to the ear canal.

One may wonder why this bump was named tragus, a Greek word meaning “goat.” This references the tuft of hair resembling a goat’s beard that often adorns the tragi (pl.) of older men. Think Murtagh, not Ian! <G>

Try This: Place your L thumb in L ear canal, then pinch with L forefinger; this is your tragus. Now insert L index finger into same ear canal and pinch with thumb; this is your antitragus. Did you find both? Good job!

Fun Fact: Pinching the tragus, an action known as the fistula test, may induce vertigo or eye deviation in patients with the presence of an inner ear abnormality (fistula). If the pinch causes the response, the test is positive; if it doesn’t, the test is negative.

Read about ears in Drums of Autumn. Herself describes tidbits about Claire’s ears, Jamie’s ears, Haye’s ears, Byrnes ears, Ian’s ears and Rollo’s ears, and more, much more.  Best read the books! 

“Can ye speak Mohawk yourself, Mr. Myers?” 

Ian’s ears had been flapping all through the explanation. Fascinated by every rock, tree, and bird on our journey, Ian was still more fascinated by any mention of Indians. 

“Oh, a good bit.” Myers shrugged modestly. “Any trader picks up a few words here and there. Shoo, dawg.” 

Rollo, who had inched his nose within sniffing distance of Myers’s last trout, twitched his ears at the admonition but didn’t withdraw the nose.

See Ian’s tragus and its auricle turn bright pink in Starz, ep 413, A Man of Worth. Trapped like a rat! Ian doesna like gettin’ nabbed in the dark.  

A deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

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Fun Fact: Os Frontale

Anatomy Def: Os frontale/frontal bone is a skull bone which forms the forehead and the roofs of eye sockets and of nasal cavities.

Outlander Def: Saucy, scary Geillis haunts Ian at Hayes’ graveside! Her clear, high forehead follows her gaze as she basks in a font of goats’ blood. Run, Ian, Run!!!

Learn about frontal bones in Anatomy #60, Let’s Mull the Skull!

The human skull contains 22 bones (six ear ossicles not included in the count). Many anatomists consider the frontal bone a keystone skull bone because it articulates with a whopping 12 other bones of the skull!

Fun Fact: At birth we have two frontal bones separated by a frontal suture which typically ossifies into one frontal bone around eight years of age. Some humans retain two frontal bones throughout life, a state consistent with most vertebrates, wherein paired frontal bones do not fuse into a single frontal bone.

Try this: Gently rub two fingers across the skin of forehead. Do you feel a slight ridge? if so, this is the remnant of the suture between the paired frontal bones.

Read about foreheads throughout all of Diana’s big books.  This passage from Drums of Autumn compares Brianna’s forehead with that of her paternal grandmother, Ellen MacKenzie, as Bree and Jenny view her Lallybroch portrait:

Ellen MacKenzie looked out at her now as she had then; long-necked and regal, slanted eyes showing a humor that did not quite touch the tender mouth. It wasn’t a mirror image, by any means; Ellen’s forehead was high, narrower than Brianna’s, and the chin was round, not pointed, her whole face somewhat softer and less bold in its features.

But the resemblance was there, and pronounced enough to be startling; the wide cheekbones and lush red hair were the same. And around her neck was the string of pearls, gold roundels bright in the soft spring sun.

See Geillis high forehead as she prepares to rise from her ablution of blood in Starz episode 401, America the Beautiful.  (I figure it would require blood from about 250 milk goats to fill that font!)

A deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

Photo credit: Starz

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Fun Fact: Calcaneus

Anatomy Def: Calcaneus, largest of the foot bones (red arrow), forms the heel.

Outlander Def: Rollos’s grisly munch-brunch!

Learn about the calcaneus in Anatomy Lesson #59, Complete Feet. 

Calcaneus is the largest of 7 irregularly-shaped tarsal bones of the foot skeleton. It forms the heel of foot and in profile resembles a pistol grip. It serves us well by performing the following:

  • provides attachment for the Achilles’ (calcaneal) tendon (via posterior tubercle)
  • one of the most important weight-bearing bones of body
  • provides attachment for foot ligaments and 9 muscles (3 via Achilles’ tendon)
  • provides leverage for tendon of long flexor of great toe (flexor hallucus longus) to improve spring (as in jumping)

A fracture of the calcaneus also goes by the odd names, lover’s fracture or Don Juan fracture. Here, a person falls from a great height and lands on the heels, crushing the calcaneus under the body’s weight. Just imagine a cheating wife’s lover jumping from a bedroom window to escape an enraged spouse – hence, the name. Run!

Read about heels in Diana’s splendid tome, Drums of Autumn. This excellent scene at River Run, (which has yet to appear in TV Outlander S4) describes Jamie doing a heel pirouette in his plaid for his wife (who else?)! He whirls on his calcaneus. Yay!

He hadn’t worn the kilt since Culloden, but his body had not forgotten the way of it.

“Oh!” I said.

He saw me then, and white teeth flashed as he made me a leg, silver shoe-buckles gleaming. He straightened and turned on his heel to set his plaid swinging, then came down slowly, eyes fixed on my face. 

For a moment, I saw him as he had looked the morning I married him. The sett of his tartan was nearly the same now as then; black check on a crimson ground, plaid caught at his shoulder with a silver brooch, dipping to the calf of a neat, stockinged leg.

See Ian grip what is left of right leg and foot from Roger’s unfortunate fellow traveler in Starz ep 411, If Not for Hope. Look closely – a severed Achille’s tendon dangles from the calcaneus. Fabulous!

Rollo, what have ye got there? Yikes, it’s human! Bad wolf-dog! No more bedtime kisses. 😉

A deeply grateful, Outlander Anatomist

Photo credit: Starz