Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-08-13
The Larynx.

The larynx is one of the most delicate
and beautiful organs of the body. 1t is,
in fact, an admirably constructed must
cal instrument so placed as to utilize the
currents of air, passing in and out of
the lungs, for the production OF sound.
1t is a piano, flute and clariOnet all in
one; and all compressed within the
space of a cubical inch. The lungs are
the bellows which supply the air; the
trachea is the tube which concentrates
and conducts it to the music box, while
the vocal chords" supply the place OF
the numerous wires which cause the diff
ferent tunes to be produced in the piano.
But, while there are dozens and dozens
of these wires required in the piano, this
tiny but unrivaled instrument has but
two, and these, like the eyes and ears, are
perfect duplicates Yet these two
" chords" of yellow elastic tissue are ca
pable of producing far greater variety
of sounds than the boosted Chickering
with its seven or eight Octaves. True,
the human voice, except in rare cases,
does not exceed two or two and half
octaves, but the instrument of art only
has single half note between each note,
while the voice in this respect is almost
unlimited-Jenny Lind, it is said, being
capable of producing 100 appreciate
tones between any two major intervals
in the scale. Besides this, when we con-
slider the endless variety of expression
the voice is capable of compared with
the puny stops" of other instruments,
it becomes useless to draw comparisons
further
But perhaps it may be desired to know
something more of the mechanism by
means of which these wonderful results
are accomplished Well, this box, placed
Nst below the base of the tongue and
the forepart of which constitutes the
well-known Adams apple, is triangular
in form, with the apex pointing outward,
and is constructed out of nine boards, -
or pieces OF cartilage, these being bound
together by eight muscles and about a
dozen ligamentS Two of these cartilageS
have little horn-like examinations which
project upward into the cavity of this
box and at the ends of these are attached
one extremity of each vocal chord, the
other being attached on the opposite side
These cartilageS are movable by means
Of muscles which cause them to partially
rotate; thus putting the chords on the
stretch or otherwise. These muscles are
under the control of the will; and, just
as the violin string gives a shriller sound
when drawn tighter, so the owner has
only to telegraph down and these carti-
lagos are "yanked around in twink
ling, the vocal chords put upon extreme
tension, and Come out of that, John
Henry!" is uttered with a shrillness that
makes the little culprit fairly jump out
of his boots.
These chords are, as we have said, com
posed of elastic. yellow, fibrous tissue,
and covered by an extremely delicate
mucous membrane, the thickening OF
which, by colds or otherwise, causes that
huskiness of voice so often observed.
Another curiosity connected with the
voice is sounding box" followed out
Of the frontal bones, known as the
frontal SINUS" and which communicates
with the fossa of the nose by means of
tiny apertures. These often become also
closed through the thickening of the
mucous membrane from colds, ETC., and
hence occasion that peculiar flat tone of
voice known as talking through the
nose" When the cold passes away the
aqueducts are reopened, resonance re-
stored and the nasal tone ceases.-Pacifc
P7y,.oJ D,.ooo