Outlander episode 313, Eye of the Storm
Anatomy def: Either of two slender bones of the upper limb, each clavicle extends horizontally from sternum (breastbone) to respective scapula (shoulder blade). Clavicles are commonly known as collarbones (one word) because of their proximity to the collar of a donned garment.
Outlander def: Clavicles are powerful bones Jamie joyfully shares with Claire aboard the Artemis! Put yer wee bonny fingers on them, dearest Auntie Claire! <G>
Learn about clavicles in Anatomy Lesson #3, Bad Day at Cocknammon Rock or Wee Bonny Fingers on my Collar Bone!
You might be interested in this anatomical tidbit: In humans, clavicles act as struts to position shoulder joints and arms at the sides of the body. Positioning our upper limbs to our sides allows for much greater ranges of motion. Without clavicles, our shoulders would drop in front of the chest, like those of a cat, dog or horse! Our upper limbs could move forwards and backwards, but no slow pitch or jumping jacks with those limitations!
Why, might you ask, is the clavicle named for a Latin word meaning, door bolt? Well, clavicles are the only horizontally-oriented long bones of the body and to early anatomists, they looked a bit like ye olde door bolts of by-gone eras.
Read about clavicles in Voyager book! Actually, keep your eye out, Herself often describes collarbones in all Outlander books.
“Perhaps it does. Shall I try sometime?” The hollow of his throat lay just by my face, sunburned and delicate, showing the faint white triangle of a scar just above the wide arch of his collarbone. I set my lips on the pulsebeat there, and he shivered, though neither of us was cold any longer.
and again:
“Do you want me now?” I whispered, and kissed the sunburned flesh in the hollow above his collarbone. His skin was faintly salty to the taste, and his hair smelled of woodsmoke and pungent maleness.
See Jamie’s clavicles drenched in sunbeams from windows of the Artemis. – a splendid temptation for canny, clever Claire!
The deeply grateful,
Outlander Anatomist
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