Part 2, Chapter 4: The Vocal Organ, pp. 116-128https://jdc.jefferson.edu/throat_and_voice/1021/thumbnail.jp

Solis Cohen, Jacob

Part 2, Chapter 4: The Vocal Organ, pp. 116-128http://jdc.jefferson.edu/throat_and_voice/1021/thumbnail.jp

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The Throat and The Voice: Part 2, Chapter 4: The Vocal Organ

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Thomas Jefferson UniversityJefferson Digital CommonsThe Throat and the Voice, by J. Solis Cohen, M.D.1879 Rare Medical Books1879The Throat and The Voice: Part 2, Chapter 4: TheVocal OrganJacob Solis CohenFollow this and additional works at: http://jdc.jefferson.edu/throat_and_voicePart of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Jefferson Digital Commons. The Jefferson Digital Commons is a service of ThomasJefferson University's Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). The Commons is a showcase for Jefferson books and journals, peer-reviewed scholarlypublications, unique historical collections from the University archives, and teaching tools. The Jefferson Digital Commons allows researchers andinterested readers anywhere in the world to learn about and keep up to date with Jefferson scholarship. This article has been accepted for inclusion inThe Throat and the Voice, by J. Solis Cohen, M.D. 1879 by an authorized administrator of the Jefferson Digital Commons. For more information, pleasecontact: JeffersonDigitalCommons@jefferson.edu.Recommended CitationSolis Cohen, Jacob, "The Throat and The Voice: Part 2, Chapter 4: The Vocal Organ" (1879). The Throat and the Voice, by J. Solis Cohen,M.D. 1879. Book 21.http://jdc.jefferson.edu/throat_and_voice/21CHAPTER IV. THE VOCAL ORGAN. THE vocal organ is contained in the larynx (lar-unx, top of the windpipe), an irregular prismatic or trianguloid funnel-shaped expansion of the air-pas-sage, on top of the tubular windpipe (trachea), and con-tinuous with it (Fig.VII.). The angular portion of the larynx (Fig. VII., 3) is firm and resistant, and presents forward in the central portion of the neck, where it can be readily felt beneath the skin, forming the projection popularly known as the Adam's apple. This projection forms an acuter angle in the male than in the female. The broad portion of the larynx is firm below and flexible above, and presents backward ; being more or less in contact with the posterior wall of the pharynx or entrance into the gullet, except during the passage of materials that are being swallowed. The outer wall of the prismatic larynx on each side is composed of a wing of broad, flat, and irregular-shaped carti-lage, the thyroid (thureos, a shield) cartilage, which shelters the delicate and movable structures within, and protects them from undue external injury. The 16 THE VOCAL ORGAN. 	 117 larynx being part of the air-passage, there would be constant danger of food falling into it on its way to the gullet behind, were it not for a leaf-shaped valve of cartilage, the epiglottis Fig. VII. — A Front View [epi, upon, and glottis, the of the Exterior of the Carti-mouth-piece of a flute], lages of the Female Human (Figs. VII. and VIII., 4), Larynx. which reaches over the top of it from behind the base of the tongue ; being attached at its root to the inner and upper part of the angle of junction formed by the two wings of the thyroid cartilage. This valve becomes pressed down over the opening ipto the larynx during the act of swallowing, and t. Upper Ring of the Windpipe. 2. Cricoid, or Ring-like Cartilage, the thus closes it hermetically Base of the Larynx. 3. Thyroid, for the moment. The lower fig- ure 3 is on the Adam's apple.) 4. or Shield-like Cartilage. (The fi -portion of the thyroid car- Epiglottis. M. A Membrane unit-tilage (Fig. VIII., 3), on ing the Cricoid and the Thyroid each side, is continued in- Cartilages. to a pair of prolongations or processes which grasp either side of a stout, ring-shaped cartilage, the base of the entire larynx, continuous with the uppermost portion of the windpipe. This ring-shaped cartilage, 118 	 THE THROAT AND THE VOICE. the cricoid [krikos, a ring, and eidos, form] (Figs.VII. and VIII., 2), is very broad behind, and quite narrow in front, much like a seal-ring, — whence its name. The narrow portion in front is just below the an-gular portion of the thyroid cartilage, with which it is continuous by the inter-position of a membrane (Figs. VII. and VIII., M), crico - thyroid membrane, which is easily detected under the skin, a little below the Adam's apple, and which is felt to vibrate as the voice is sounded. The firm and resistant out-line of the cricoid cartilage can easily be felt below this membrane ; and immedi-ately below this again are the less resistant rings of the windpipe. The broad, posterior portion of the cricoid cartilage is symmetric, and on each side of the middle line bears a place of support for a small prismatic cartilage, the arytenoid [art/lair/a, a ladle (or beak of a pitcher), and eidos, shape] cartilage (Fig. IX., 6), quite movable on the THE VOCAL ORGAN. 	 119 cricoid cartilage, and carrying a sharp projection or process anteriorly, to which the posterior and mov-able end of the vocal band (Fig. IX., 5) is attached ; the anterior and fixed end Fig. IX.— Interior View of of each vocal band being Right Half of the Human in close contact in front, Larynx. in the angular groove formed by the junction of the two wings of the thy-roid cartilage, a little be-low the point where the root of the epiglottis (Fig. IX., 4) (see page 117) is attached, and a little above the upper border of the crico - thyroid membrane. The two vocal bands are the sound producers, or r. generators of the voice ; but they are not cords, as their common name, vocal cords, would imply to the uninstructed. They are narrow bands of firm, fibrous material. If we compare the movable arytenoid car- tilages, to which the vocal bands are attached posteri-orly, to the rings of the handle of a pair of scissors, the angle of the thyroid cartilage to the pivot which unites the two halves of the pair of scissors, and the Fig. VIII. — Side View of the Exterior of the Cartilages of the Human Larynx. r. Windpipe. 2. Cricoid Cartilage. 3. Thyroid Cartilage. 4. Epi-glottis. M. Membrane uniting Cricoid and Thyroid Cartilages. Upper Ring of the Windpipe. 2. 2. Cricoid Cartilage. 3. Thyroid Cartilage. 4. Epiglottis. 5. Vocal Band (Vocal Cord). 6. Arytenoid Cartilage. 	 7. Ventricular Band (so-called False Vocal Cord). Fig. X.—Bird's-Eye View of the Interior of the Human Larynx, as seen from above. 2. Cricoid Cartilage. 3. 3. Thyroid Cartilage. 4. Epiglottis. 5. 5. ...Vocal Bands. 6. 6. Arytenoid Cartilages. THE VOCAL ORGAN. 	 121 120 	 THE THROAT AND THE VOICE. vocal bands to the shanks of the handle, we shall obtain a fairly approximative idea of the relative po-sitions of these parts and of the chief, to and fro, motions to which the vocal bands are subjected. The handles of the scissors being separated, there is a wide space between the shanks, which represents the shape of the breathing space between the two vocal bands during ordinary respiration. The handles of the scissors being brought in contact, there remains but an elliptic space between the shanks, which represents the shape of the space through which the air streams during phonation or use of the voice ; the vocal bands on each side being set in vibration by the escaping current of air, just like the tongues or reeds of the accordeon or the mouth-organ, during performances on those instruments. There is a membranous expansion reaching from each side of the lower portion of the epiglottis, in front, to the arytenoid cartilage behind on each side respectively, and there is a musculo-membranous ex-pansion between the two arytenoid cartilages. Thus, the epiglottis in front, the two folds of membrane, aryleno-epie,lottic folds, at the side, and the two ary-tenoid cartilages and their intermediate fold, inter-arytenoid fold, behind, form the upper boundary of the somewhat triangular-shaped entrance into the in-terior of the larynx. These structures are continuous below with the cricoid cartilage, itself continuous with  the windpipe, a rigid tube always open to the passage of air, and dividing and subdividing below into nu-merous smaller and smaller tubes which eventually reach to the air-cells of the lungs, and through which the latter are inflated in inspiration and partially emptied in expira-tion; for after air once gains access to the lungs at birth, these organs are never more than partially emptied. The whole structure is supported in position by attachments to the base of the tongue, the tongue-bone, and the side walls of the throat. Thus the vocal apparatus is a wind and reed apparatus, the wind being forced from the lungs along the bronchial tubes into the windpipe, where it is condensed to a certain extent against the lower surfaces of the approximated pair of vocal bands, which it sets into phonal vibration as it escapes between their edges. The human vocal apparatus differs from every artificial wind and reed instrument in several particulars. The pair of lungs from which the air is driven to set the vocal bands in motion, differs from a pair of bellows not only in II I22 	 THE THROAT AND THE VOICE. configuration, but in principle. There is no valve to permit access of air after air is expelled from the noz-zle of the bellows, but the air enters and leaves the lungs by the same route ; and the lungs are never emptied as the bellows are, for the sides of the chest cannot be brought into contact. There is no air-chamber or reservoir to provide for a continuous flow of air in the human apparatus as in the artificial one. The reeds are flexible, elastic, membranous bands, with only a single edge, each, exposed to the cur-rent of air, and capable of vibrating. By placing a little mirror into the back part of the open mouth (Fig. XI.), while the latter is well illu-minated, we are able to see an image of the interior of the larynx (Figs. XI. and XII.), and observe in great part the mechanism of the vocal bands in the acts of respiration and of production of voice. In this way the register of the voice, as it is termed, can be studied optically, and its transition points be noted by inspection. The credit of the first successful dem-onstration of this kind belongs to Signor Manuel Garcia, of London, a teacher of vocal music, who, in 1854, devised the plan in the interest of vocal art. The manipulation is well known to physicians, who frequently employ it for observing the condition of the parts in disease. The art is termed laryngoscopy ijfrom larynx, and skopio, I view], because chiefly em-ployed to inspect the interior of the larynx ; but it THE VOCAL ORGAN. 	 123 Fig. XI.— Image of Vocal Apparatus as Seen in a Mirror Held far Back in the Mouth. i'll11111111' reveals the image of other structures likewise, a dis-cussion of which is foreign to the scope of this little volume. The author is so Fig. XII.—Natural Size of Image of Vocal Apparatus, Viewed as De- firmly convinced of picted in Fig. XI. 	 the importance of a knowledge of this art to all those who are really interested in the cultivation of the voice, whether for public speaking, for singing, or for conversation, that he would suggest that x. x. 1. Rings of the Windpipe. 2. Cricoid some little effort be Cartilage. 3. 3. 3. 3. Thyroid Cartilage. 4. 4. 4. Epiglottis. 5. 5. Vocal Bands. 7. 7, made by them to ac- Ventricular Bands. 8. 8. Back Part of the quire it. 	 Half an Tongue. M. Crico-Thyroid Membrane. hour's practice under the guidance of one already familiar with the man-ipulation is sufficient to learn it, and the necessary outlay for an apparatus need not exceed one dollar. It certainly stands to reason, that a teacher of elocu-tion or of singing, who can examine a pupil's lar-ynx or his own, ought to be able to produce better results than he could attain without such skill. A good idea of the general plan of the anatomy of the vocal apparatus can be obtained by examining the  larynx and windpipe of one of the lower animals. Any butcher will furnish these organs from a sheep or a calf at a trifling cost, perhaps merely a " Thank you." They differ in color, size, and configuration from the vocal organs of the human subject, but are sufficiently like it to enable one to recognize the differ-ent component structures which have been described. Two specimens should be obtained to be studied together ; one of them to be cut open lengthwise, in the middle line in front, and the other to be divided lengthwise, in the middle line behind. On examining the image of the larynx in the mir-ror, in the manner alluded to, we find that the vocal Fig. XIII. — Image of the Larynx in Respiration. (Compare Fig. VI., p. 88.) 3 3. Thyroid Cartilage. 4. Epi- 	 3. 3. Thyroid Cartilage. 4. Epi- glottis. 5. 5. Vocal Bands. 	 glottis. 5. 5. Vocal Bands. 7. 7. Ventricular Bands. 	 7. 7. Ventricular Bands. bands are widely separated during ordinary respira-tion (Fig. XIII.), the air passing freely and silently in * Fig. XIV. — Image of the Larynx in Phonation. (Compare Fig. V., p. S7.) THE VOCAL ORGAN. 	 125 124 	 THE THROAT AND THE VOICE. 126 	 THE THROAT AND THE VOICE. THE VOCAL ORGAN. 	 127 and out, there being a little increase in the dimension of the passageway during inspiration, and a return to the former size and position during expiration. When the voic9.eis used, the two vocal bands become closely approiimated posteriorly (below in the figure), with only a very narrow. elliptic space between them (Fig. XIV.), through which the expiratory current of air passes, setting the free edges of the elastic and tense bands in vibration. The tones of the chest portion of the vocal register (chest register) are made by vibrations of the entire width of the vocal cords or bands, which, as the notes rise in pitch, become more tightly stretched, and somewhat more tightly pressed together at their extremities, decreas-ing the length of the fissure between them, and thus practically shortening the surfaces remaining free to vibrate, exhibiting the stretching and shortening already described (page 99)6 The tones of the falsetto portion of the register (falsetto register) are produced by vibrations of the edges of the bands simply ; the mechanism of rise in pitch being the same as for the chest tones. The transition from chest to falsetto register is at F, or F# in the first space of the treble staff, %I. 	 both in the male and in the female voice. The head portion of the register (head register), chiefly confined to female voices, is due to a'close approxi-mation, in actual contact, of the posterior portion of the vocal bands (Fig. XV.), leaving only the anterior portion free to vibrate ; the mechanism otherwise being similar to that of the Fig. XV.—Image of the falsetto register. This pecu- Larynx in the Production liarity in the production of of the se  _ called Head-the head-tones was first de- Tones. tected, a number of years ago, by Mrs. Emma Seiler, pow of Philadelphia, while studying the mechanise of the voice as observed in the living vocal-ist, and was determined by her to be anatomically due to certain little needle-like pro- 3. 3. Thyroid Cartilage. 4. Epi- longations of gristle (cartil- glottis. 5. 5. Vocal Bands. age), which project into the 6. 6. Arytenoid Cartilages. 7. 7. Ventricular Bands. posterior portion of each vo- cal band for a considerable distance, and thus ren- der their close contact — a virtual "stopping"— practicable. 	 st  The image presented during produc- tion of the head-tones had been occasionally de-scribed, but its special mechanism was not compre-hended until explained by Mrs. Seiler, who had examined the vocal organs of dead females for the purpose of discovering the cause. As anatomists had been in the habit of studying the human larynx from the male subject, on account of its larger size, this point had escaped their attention ; the nodules 128 	 THE THROAT AND THE VOICE. of cartilage being only rudimentally developed in the great majority of males. It is possible, therefore, by examining the image of the larynx of an indi-vidual, to pronounce as to the practicability of the production of head-tones. If the little projections in the posterior portion of the vocal bands, clue to the presence of these processes of cartilage, do not exist, the voice can only be injured in useless attempts to acquire head-tones. Similar nodules, but much smaller in size, exist at the anterior attachments of the vocal bands. These are usually larger in the larynx of the male than in that of the female. CHAPTER V. VOCAL CULTURE. PRACTICALLY, all vocal sound is musical, save only the automatic-like tones emitted by the speaking deaf-mute (mute no longer, however). Mod-ulation of speech is musical intonation ; but the com-pass employed is a limited one, and the transitions slide from one tone to the next instead of proceed-ing by fixed intervals, as in song. The sounds of speech are chiefly concrete sounds, and the sounds of song are chiefly discrete sounds. The sounds of speech are run together, as it were, save such separation as is requisite for distinct enunciation. The sounds of song are separated from each other, save in the utter-ance of the consonants of words. The sounds of songs without words are altogether discrete. The compass of voice utilized in ordinary speak-ing in the United States rarely extends beyond the musical interval of a fourth (C — F, half an octave, four white keys on the piano), except in localities where extremes of modulation are customary ; while the compass of the ordinary singing voice may ap-proach two octaves. 129 

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The Throat and The Voice: Part 2, Chapter 4: The Vocal Organ

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