Caitlin Craig McCoy Chapter 7

What is the axial skeleton? The portion of the human skeleton that consists of the spine and thorax. It also houses the respiratory system.

What is the appendicular skeleton? The remainder of the skeleton: the skull, pelvis, arms, and legs.

What is the dens or odontoid process? The anterior projection on the axis that connects to the atlas.

Which vertebrae create the pivot point around which the skull can be tilted and rotated? The atlas and axis.

What is the spinous process, where are they located, and what is their function? A small projection from a vertebrae's posterior that serves as an attachment point for muscles of the back. 

Describe the size and angle of the spinous processes. They are robust, and kind of stubby, they extend at nearly a right angle to the spine. In the thoracic region, the spinous processes are longer and extend obliquely downward from the spine. The spinous processes of the 7th cervical vertebrae is particularly large and can be easily seen/felt on most humans. There are 2 transverse processes that extend laterally from each vertebrae.

What are the bones of the pelvis? The ilium, pubis, and ischium.

How is McCoy’s description of the connection of the ribs to the sternum different than Malde’s? Malde's description said that the ribs connect to the costal cartilage, which turns into the sternum. McCoy's description is that the top four pairs of ribs attach individually to the breastbone or sternum through flexible connection of the costal cartilage. Ribs 5-10 all share a common cartilaginous connection to the sternum. The bottom two ribs do not connect to the sternum, but they are free-floating. 

Describe the parts of the sternum. The sternum has two parts the manubrium, and the corpus. The joint between these plates is flexible at birth but fuses solid by the time a person reaches adulthood.

Describe the pleural sacs and their function. Pleural sacs house the lungs. They are made of serious membrane (water permeable) that causes the thorax and lungs to adhere to each other in a flexible connection. When the thorax enlarges, so does the pleural sacs.

What is Boyle’s Law? As volume increases, there is a decrease in air pressure. Because of Boyle's Law, whenever the volume capacity of the thorax and lungs is increased, inhalation occurs; whenever it is decreased, exhalation occurs.

Expansion causes air to flow into the lungs; expansion is never the effect of air entering the lungs.

Describe the lungs. The lungs are organs, not muscles. They are made of a porous, spongy material. The right lung has three lobes, The left lung is smaller due to the placement of the heart, and it has only two lobes. Air comes into the lungs through the windpipe, which then divides into two separate bronchial trees.

                 

Describe the bronchial tree. The trachea divides itself into two separate bronchial tubes. These further divide into lobar bronchi, which insert into the individual lobes of each lung. Once inside the lungs, the bronchi divide into smaller and smaller segments, eventually arriving at the alveoli (alveolar sacs). 

Describe the aveolar sacs and their function. The aveolar sacs occur at the end of the bronchi. This is where the exchange of blood gasses occur. They are compressible and are responsible for much of the elasticity of lung tissue. 

Describe the central tendon of the diaphragm. The central tendon is where all the muscle fibers in the diaphragm originate from and attach there. The central tendon is a strong, fibrous portion of the muscle that is shaped kind of like a boomerang. Because this muscle completely bisects the body, openings must be provided for the passage of blood and food. 

How does the range of motion of the diaphragm vary between quiet breathing and deep breathing? During quiet breath its range of motion is about one and a half centimeters. During deep breathing the range of motion is about 6-7 centimeters.

How much air is drawn into the lungs in a deep breath? About 2 1/2 liters of air.

 What are the four principal methods of breath management? Clavicular, thoracic, abdominal, and a balanced breath.

According to McKinney (quoted here), what is the difference between breath support and breath control? they are independent, yet related functions. Breath support is best described as the dynamic relationship between the muscles of inspiration and expiration that are used to control pressure in the air supplied to the larynx. Support, therefore is a pulmonary function. Breath control, however, is a laryngeal function.

What are the problems with clavicular breathing for singing? It suppresses the ability to control air pressure during exhalation. With clavicular breathing, it is very common to overfill the lungs with too much air, making the layrnx act as a valve to help regulate the pressure. Subglottal pressure then puts stress on the voice.