

THE VOICE. 313 



eles attached to them, by which they are moved sideways, 

 and it is by these motions that the opening in the larynx, 

 called the glottis, is enlarged or contracted/? Two fibrous 

 ligaments connect these cartilages with the thyroid ; these 

 two are called vocal chords, as they are supposed to be 

 particularly concerned in the production of voice. They 

 pass from the artenoid cartilages to the angle formed by the 

 two side pieces of the thyroid, and are about half an inch in 

 length. The opening between them is called glottis, rima~ 

 glottidis, or chink of the glottis. 



5. JThe epiglottis is the little moveable cartilage ; which 

 lies over the top of the wind-pipe, at the root of the tongue, 

 and has been compared to a trap-door^ It prevents the food 

 from passing into the wind-pipe when we swallow. From 

 its elasticity, its position is usually perpendicular, except in 

 the very act of swallowing, when the tongue is carried back- 

 wards, so as to bring it exactly over the opening ; this pre- 

 vents the passage of foreign bodies into the lungs. 



6. The larynx is abundantly supplied with nerves which 

 are given off from the eighth pair. \The thyroid gland is a 

 body consisting of two lobes, lying one on each side, and 

 somewhat below the larynx^ the use of which is unknown ;/ 

 it is the seat of the disease called goitre, or(swelled neck} so 

 common in Switzerland, and some other countries. 



7. Such is the description of the organs immediately con- 

 cerned in the voice ; (the whole vocal apparatus, however, 

 comprises the muscles concerned in breathing, the mouth, 

 and nasal cavities, as well as the parts above mentioned.; It 

 is essential to the production of voice that the air should 

 pass from the lungs through the larynx ; for if an opening 

 be made in the wind. pipe, so that the air escapes, the voice 

 is lost. I lately witnessed this in a man who undertook to 

 destroy his life by cutting his throat. He succeeded in cut- 

 ting the wind-pipe completely off, but as no large blood ves- 

 sels were divided, he got well. This man could not utter a 



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