“When was the last time you saw a uterus with glasses?” Spoken by our very own Dr. White about two months ago as he demonstrated how the broad ligament formed a double layer of peritoneum, which suspends the uterine tubes, the ovaries, and most of the uterus. Imagine my disappointment when I recalled this moment of comic relief to John only to have him interrupt, “Let me guess, he draped a clear shower curtain over his head and outstretched arms? Anna, all med schools use that demonstration.” Dammit! Foiled again! And here I thought that act was a Dr. W original that only we at PennMed had the rare privilege to observe!
Okay, John, I’ll do you one better. How many of your anatomy professors let you act out the part of the arytenoid cartilage? Eh?? I had vocal ligaments and a thyroarytenoid muscle attached to my vocal process (a.k.a. hand of my outstretched right arm) and cricoarytenoid muscles attached to my muscular process (left hand), enabling me to relax and tense the vocal ligaments. And they are tiny little suckers (in reality, that is). Dr. R said that John would be proud, and then he quoted Albus Dumbledore: “Eternal glory awaits those who get to be arytenoid cartilages.” Well, I’d settle for a passing grade on our last two exams next week, but eternal glory sounds good.
Hmmm, a few days ago I mentioned that I would be spending the next several days musing over music. I’m not sure I should ever make plans on this blog, but maybe talking about the mechanics behind voice production counts.
Finally, if you want to see the master of the muscles associated with the larynx, check out Bobby. And he’s even more amazing in person, so humble, and barefoot.
anna in med school 