Fun Fact: Frontalis

 

Anatomy def: Frontalis muscles  lift the eyebrows and wrinkle the forehead 

Outlander def: Fergus! Ye are needed and loved says Jamie. 😥

Frontalis is derived from the Latin word frons meaning “front” or “forehead.”

Frontalis is pronounced as:  fron·ta·lis \ˌfrən-ˈtā-ləs\

Frontalis are paired muscles of facial expression, one of about 20 pairs! Their only purpose in humans is to convey emotion.

Frontalis muscles cover the forehead. They are flat, thin, four-sided (quadrilateral) muscles that arise from connective tissue of the scalp and end in skin above the eyebrows and nose (next image).

If contracted, these muscles lift the eyebrows and wrinkle forehead skin, conveying strong emotions such as concern, worry, surprise, concentration, and anger. 

Learn more about frontalis muscles in Anatomy Lesson #11, “Jamie’s Face or Ye do it Face to Face?” 

Read about Jamie’s forehead in Diana’s sixth big book, A Breath of Snow and Ashes:

I had the oddest feeling, then—as though the strength he had clung to had now been let go … and was flowing into me. My tenuous grip on my own body firmed as I held his, and my heart ceased wavering, taking up instead its normal solid, tireless beating.

The tears had retreated, though they were precariously near the surface. I traced the lines of his face with my fingers, ruddy bronze and lined with sun and care; the high forehead with its thick auburn brows, and the broad planes of his cheek, the long straight nose, straight as a blade. The closed eyes, slanted and mysterious with those odd lashes of his, blond at the root, so deep an auburn at the tips as to seem almost black.

“Don’t you know?” I said very softly, tracing the small, neat line of his ear. Tiny, stiff blond hairs sprouted in a tiny whorl from the tagus, tickling my finger. “Don’t any of you know? That it’s you. Not what you can give, or do, or provide. Just you.”

Do Claire’s murmurings sound familiar? Jamie uses nearly the same words to encourage Fergus after his suicide attempt.

See Jamie wrinkle his brow at Fergus in Outlander episode 603, Tolerance.

Join the Outlanderbts lasses as we discuss Outlander episode 603!

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

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Photo Credits: Starz, www.centerforfacialappearances.com

Fun Fact: cilia

cilia

Anatomy def: Eyelashes or short hair-like structures of some cells.

Outlander def: Awesome eye fringes, telegraphing desire from Jamie to Claire, and she to he!

Learn about eyelashes in Anatomy Lesson #29, “The Eyes Have It!” or “The Eyes- Part One.”

Read about Jamie’s unusual eyelashes in Diana Gabaldon’s book, Dragonfly in Amber

I undressed slowly, standing by the bed, looking down at him. He had turned onto his side and curled himself up against the cold. His lashes lay long and curving against his cheek; they were a deep auburn, nearly black at the tips, but a pale blond near the roots. It gave him an oddly innocent air, despite the long, straight nose and the firm lines of mouth and chin.

Watch Claire and Jamie flutter long lush lashes in Starz episode 204, La Dame Blanche!

A deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

Fun Fact: Vastus medialis

vastus-medialis

Anatomy def: vastus medialis, the most medial of four muscles constituting the quadraceps femoris muscle of anterior thigh.

Outlander def: long awaited, verra fine thigh muscle of Dougal MacKenzie, War Chieftain of Clan MacKenzie!

Learn about the vastus medialis and quadraceps femoris muscles in Anatomy Lesson #7 “Jamie’s Thighs” or “Ode to Joy!”

Read about Jamie’s thigh muscles in Dragonfly in Amber book (alas, couldn’a find a Dougal quote):

I scooped out a good bit of the salve and spread it down the long muscle of the thigh, pushing Jamie’s kilt above his hip to keep out of the way. The flesh of his leg was warm; not the heat of infection, only the normal heat of a young male body, flushed with exercise and the glowing pulse of health. I massaged the cream gently into the skin, feeling the swell of the hard muscle, probing the divisions of quadriceps and hamstring. Jamie made a small grunting sound as I rubbed harder.

See Dougal’s kilt-kick showing a fierce and fine vastus medialis muscle in Starz episode 209, Je Suis Prest. Thank ye verra much, Dougal!

A deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist