Tag: ulna

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Fun Fact: brachialis

Anatomy def: Brachialis is a muscle of the upper arm; covering lower half of humerus (upper arm bone) and ending on ulna (forearm bone), it flexes (bends) the elbow joint.

Outlander def: Brachialis, part and parcel of the big, beautiful bulge on Jamie’s right arm. The Highland Hero’s eye scans the sky for stormy weather. It’s gonna be a bad one – best batten down the hatches!

Learn about brachialis muscle in Anatomy Lesson #20, Arms! Arms! Arms! – Redux!

Contrary to popular opinion, biceps is NOT the most powerful flexor of the elbow joint. This honor goes to – drum roll – brachialis! Believe it or not, brachialis generates roughly 50% more power than biceps during elbow flexion. Truth!

Puir brachialis, lying deep and over shadowed by the honking biceps, it doesn’t get its fair share of attention from muscle builders or Outlander lovers.  

Read about arm muscles in Voyager book. Couldn’t find a quote for Jamie, but there is a splendid one of Claire as she assess her assets, <G> before venturing through the stones once more. Just try to remember —brachialis, that step-sister deep to biceps, performs MOST of the work during elbow flexion!

Dropping the towel, I looked myself over. Flexed my arms, raised them overhead, checking for bagginess. None; biceps and triceps all nicely defined, deltoids neatly rounded and sloping into the high curve of the pectoralis major. I turned slightly to one side, tensing and relaxing my abdominals—obliques in decent tone, the rectus abdominis flattening almost to concavity.

See the impressive bulge created by Jamie’s biceps and brachialis in Starz, Episode 313, Eye of the Storm!

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

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Photo Credit: Sony/Starz

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Fun Fact: ulna

Anatomy def: The inner and longer of two forearm bones (radius is outer and shorter bone).

Outlander def: A noble, 16 y.o. forearm bone broken by Jamie: snap, crackle, pop – och!

Learn about ulna (and radius) in Anatomy Lesson #20, “Arms! Arms! Arms! – Redux.” Lessons #19, #22, and #23 cover remaining upper limb, complex anatomy, indeed!

Read about William Grey’s forearm bones in Diana’s big book #2, Dragonfly in Amber. William makes a verra credible attempt at slicing Jamie’s throat followed by a struggle that ends with a broken forearm (his, not Jamie’s!). The tale doesn’t specify if one or both forearm bones are snapped by the unprincipled Scottish voluptuary and poltroon, Red Jamie! But, of the two bones, ulna breaks most frequently.

There was no moon, and the only clue to what was happening was a tremendous scuffling sound in the dry alder leaves, and the noise of men locked in effortful but silent conflict, with grunts, gasps, and the occasional muffled curse. There was a short, sharp cry, and then complete quiet.

… Jamie raised his eyebrows…  “—is your arm broken, by the way? I thought I felt something snap.”

The boy was beginning to wilt under the combined strain of the questioning and his injured arm, but refused an offer to be seated. Instead, he leaned against the tree, cradling his elbow in his left palm.

The bones of the boy’s forearm were light and angular under the skin, hardly thicker than my own. I splinted the arm and slung it, using my own kerchief. “It’s a clean break,” I told him, keeping my voice impersonal. “Try to keep it still for two weeks, at least.”

See the Starz version of the encounter between Jamie and William Grey in episode 209, Je Suis Prest. The stramash between the two men has profound future consequences – “A Grey does not forget an obligation, sir!“  Come on, Season 3!

A deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist