340 Dr. Felix Semon [March 13, 



stop-closure. It is possible that there was slight contact between the 

 edges of the vocal cords at the posterior portion of the glottis, but in 



Fig. 10. 



F^ if*. 



Dr. French's opinion air was passing between the edges of the cords 

 the entire length of the glottis when this photograph was taken. 



From the revelations made in the photographs of the glottis of 

 difterent persons while head tones were being sung. Dr. French 

 comes to the conclusion that contact of the vocal cords in the first 

 5 or 6 tones of the head register does not occur in half the number of 

 cases. 



Reluctantly I refrain from further following Dr. French in his 

 interesting lecture. His argument of course gets the more convincing 

 tlie more examples of the variety of ways in which the larynx acts in 

 the cases of different singers are brought forward and illustrated by 

 means of the camera. Time, however, will not allow me to do so, 

 and I can only give the most important conclusions regarding tlie 

 action of the glottis in female singers at which he finally arrives. 

 They are as follows : — 



" 1. The larynx may act in a variety of ways in the production of 

 the same tones or registers in different individuals." 



" 2. The rule, which, however, has many exceptions, is that the 

 vocal cords are short and wide, and the ligamentous and cartilaginous 

 portions of the glottis are open in the production of the lower tones ; 

 that as the voice ascends the scale the vocal cords increase in length 

 and decrease in width. The aperture between the posterior portions 

 of the vocal cords incr(;ascs in size, the capitula ISantorini are tilted 

 more and more forward, and the epiglottis rises until a note in the 

 neighbourhood of E, treble clef, first line, is reached. The cartila- 

 ginous glottis is then closed, the glottic chiid^ becomes much narrower 

 and linear in shape, the capitula Santorini are tilted backward and 

 the epiglottis is depressed." 



