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Fun Fact: Philtrum

Anatomy def: Vertical groove extending from tubercle of upper lip to nasal septum.

Outlander def: Jamie’s splendid, Claire-kissed love charm.

Learn about the philtrum in Anatomy Lesson #14, Anatomy of a Kiss!

The human philtrum is a shallow groove extending from upper lip to nose. The groove is flanked on each side by a philtral pillar, a vertical  ridge of skin arising from each peak of our upper lip. Depth and width of the philtrum varies considerably among humans.

Wooie! Jamie’s philtrum is especially handsome because his upper lip forms a beautiful Cupid’s bow. The unpaired lip tubercle lies at the center of the bow with twin peaks of his upper lip on either side.  A philtral pillar arises from each lip peak and ascends toward the nasal septum.   Sharp lip peaks typically produce marked philtral pillars. The more defined the philtral pillars, the deeper the philtrum. Got it? Yay!

Although the philtrum is vestigial in humans, in animals such as dogs, it is a deep channel designed to direct odorants from mouth to smell receptors of the nose.  

An interesting tradition about the human philtrum is expressed in the 1948 film, Key Largo. Frank (Hah! Frank is everywhere!) McCloud (Humphrey Bogart) tells a child, that before birth, the soul knows all the secrets of heaven, but at birth an angel presses a fingertip just above one’s lip, which seals it to silence. Ta da. The resulting depression is the philtrum!

Kudos to the casting folk who chose Bree’s actor very well as in the books, the lass looks like her da’.  And, a facial feature both actors share in common is the appearance of the philtrum!

Read about the philtrum??? Alas, Diana does not specifically write about the philtrum in her books, but she does write about the lips.  Consider this provocative quote from Outlander book:

“He leaned down and gently fitted his mouth over mine. I had kissed my share of men…Jamie, though, was something different. His extreme gentleness was in no way tentative; rather it was a promise of power known and held in leash; a challenge and a provocation the more remarkable for its lack of demand. I am yours, it said. And if you will have me, then…I would, and my mouth opened beneath his…”

See Jamie and Bree’s philtra (pl.) in Starz ep 410, The Deep Heart’s Core! Yep, these two share philtral genes! As LJG would say, “Some sires stamp their get!”

 

A deeply grateful, Outlander Anatomist

Photo Credits: Starz

 

 

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Fun Fact: Carpal Bone

Anatomy def: Carpals are eight small bones forming the wrist.

Outlander def: Rocking aboard the Artemis, Claire checks her soaring temperature with the back of wrist. Oh, the lass is on fire! … psst … so is Jamie! He, he!

Learn about carpal bones in Anatomy Lesson #22 Jamie’s Hand – Symbol of Sacrifice. If time is short for a full lesson, consider watching my quickie hand lesson, courtesy of Outlander After the Show. This lesson streamed June 1, 2015, just after the airing of ep 116, Wentworth Prison. The  lesson begins at 16:42 in the following video. Thanks to hosts Keetin, Jen and Ryan for inviting me to discuss the hand’s splendid engineering!

Eight oddly-shaped carpal bones are arranged in two rows to form the wrist. The near row abuts forearm bones and the far row articulates with metacarpal bones. Carpal bones are named for their shapes:

  • scaphoid (boat)
  • lunate (crescent-shaped)
  • triquetrum (three-cornered)
  • pisiform (pea)
  • trapezium (table)
  • trapezoid (quadrilateral)
  • capitate (head-shaped)
  • hamate (hook-shaped)

Carpal bones are arranged in a shallow arch traversed by 9 tendons and a nerve. Small repetitive movements or fluid retention can create pressure on the nerve (median) as it passes through the arch causing tingling and numbness, symptoms associated with carpal tunnel syndrome.

Read about  carpal bones in Outlander book, wherein Claire amuses herself by likening streets and lanes of Cranesmuir to bones of forearm and hand. That Claire – always the doc.  That Diana – always the scientist. We love them!

In fact, I had amused myself on the ride to the smithy by imagining an aerial view of the village as a representation of a skeletal forearm and hand; the High Street was the radius, along which lay the shops and businesses and the residences of the more well-to-do. St. Margaret’s Lane was the ulna, a narrower street running parallel with the High, tenanted by smithy, tannery, and the less genteel artisans and businesses. The village square (which, like all village squares I had ever seen, was not square at all, but roughly oblong) formed the carpals and metacarpals of the hand, while the several lanes of cottages made up the phalangeal joints of the fingers.

See Claire’s wrist in action as she self-diagnoses in Starz Episode 311, Uncharted! Continue watching the episode to see what Jamie does to douse her fever. Wink, wink!

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

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Photo credit: Sony/Starz

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Fun Fact: Extensor Indicis

Anatomy def: Extensor indicis is a muscle of the extensor (back) forearm – its tendon extends (straightens) the index finger (pointer finger or forefinger).

Outlander def: Jamie’s pointer finger twitches madly as Claire and Jenny come face-to-face in their terse meet-and-greet. Tappity tap – a 20-year gap. Scary!

Learn about extensor indicis in Anatomy Lesson #23, Harming Hands – Helping Hands – Healing Hands.

Turns out, the index finger receives tendons from extensor indicis and extensor digitorum (covered in a earlier FF).  Both muscles lie in the back of forearm but the tendons cross the wrist and insert into bones of the index finger. The dual tendons straighten (extend) and lift the index finger, offering it greater strength in extension and more independent movement from the remaining three fingers.

Fun Fact: In US anatomy, the thumb is not counted as a finger, so index finger is the first. Across the pond, some European anatomists define the thumb as  the first finger, so index is counted as the second finger. Ergo, many surgeons prefer using: thumb, index, middle, ring and little fingers (or something similar) to omit possible mix-ups of finger numbers during surgery. Scary x2!

Rewatch Starz episode 308, First Wife, to see Jamie’s pointer finger flutter as he ponders the strain between first wife and big sista. Not good! 

Read about Jamie’s twitchy fingers in Voyager book. Actually, his tapping fingers appear in most of Diana’s books:  

I caught a quick glance passing between Ian and Jenny; and a longer stare, unreadable, exchanged between Jenny and Jamie. A stranger here in more ways than one, I kept my own eyes cast down, observing under the shelter of my lashes. Jamie sat to my left; I could feel the tiny movement between us as the two stiff fingers of his right hand drummed their small tattoo against his thigh.

See Big Red flutter his index finger in Starz episode 308, First Wife. Kebbie-lebbie at Lallybroch!

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

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Photo credits: Sony/Starz