On diseases of the throat and windpipe, as reflected by the laryngoscope : a complete manual upon their diagnosis and treatment / by George Duncan Gibb.

Date:
1864
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On diseases of the throat and windpipe, as reflected by the laryngoscope : a complete manual upon their diagnosis and treatment / by George Duncan Gibb. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

    476/512 (page 454)
    again. The process will be understood by describing what occurs in deglutition^ as may be seen at any time:— 1st. The arytenoid cartilages approach one another the whole length of their internal surfaces_, and shut the glottis with great energy. 2nd. Almost simultaneously the superior or false vocal cords approach one another, enter into contact, and completely cover over the glottis, whilst, 3rd. The epiglottis is drawn backwards (by contraction of the aryteno-epiglottic muscular fibres,) and applies its base or cushion, and then its posterior and inferior surface upon the closed vocal cords. At this instant the base of the tongue covers all up, and nothing further is to be seen. In my lectures, the attachments of the true and false vocal cords, and epiglottic folds of membrane to the arytenoid carti- lages, have been compared to three pairs of reins in tandem- driving, which helps to simplify and explain their successive action. Thus, let A B C D represent a longitudinal section of the larynx, of which A is the arytenoid cartilage; A B is the equivalent of the inferior tliyro-arytenoid ligaments, or true vocal cords; A C, of the superior thyro-arytenoid ligaments (muscles), or false vocal cords ; and A D, of the aryteno-epi- glottis, forming the first pair of reins; this is instantly fol- lowed by the action of A C, the second pair of reins, ap- proximating the false vocal cords; and thirdly^ by that of Fig. 111. D glottic folds of mucous membrane, in which are contained the muscular fibres running from the arytenoid cartilages to the epiglottis. The action of A D and of A C cannot occur without the action of A B; therefore, the action of A B must precede the action of A C and A D. The consequence is, that A B is first excited to action and closes the true