616 VOICE AND SPEECH. 



vocal cords before puberty have not two-thirds the length 

 which they acquire at that period ; and the angle of their 

 thyroid cartilage is as little prominent as in the female 

 larynx. Boys' voices are alto and soprano, resembling in 

 pitch those of women, but louder, and differing somewhat 

 from them in tone. But, after the larynx has undergone 

 the change produced during the period of development at 

 puberty, the boy's voice becomes bass or tenor. While 

 the change of form is taking place, the voice is said to 

 "crack;" it becomes imperfect, frequently hoarse and 

 crowing, and is unfitted for singing until the new tones 

 are brought under command by practice. In eunuchs, 

 who have been deprived of the testes before puberty, the 

 voice does not undergo this change. The voice of most 

 old people is deficient in tone, unsteady, and more re- 

 stricted in extent : the first defect is owing to the ossifi- 

 cation of the cartilages of the larynx and the altered 

 condition of the vocal cord ; the want of steadiness arises 

 from the loss of nervous power and command over the 

 muscles ; the result of which is here, as in other parts, a 

 tremulous motion. These two causes combined render the 

 voices of old people void of tone, unsteady, bleating, and 

 weak. 



In any class of persons arranged, as in an orchestra, 

 according to the characters of voices, each would possess, 

 with the general characteristics of a bass, or tenor, or any 

 other kind of voice, some peculiar character by which his 

 voice would be recognized from all the rest. The con- 

 ditions that determine these distinctions are, however, 

 quite unknown. They are probably inherent in the 

 tissues of the larynx, and are as indiscernible as the 

 minute differences that characterize men's features ; one 

 often observes, in like manner, hereditary and family 

 peculiarities of voice as well marked as those of the limbs 

 or face. 



Most persons, particularly men, have the power, if at all 



