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Adam's apple
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Adam's apple | |
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| An example of male laryngeal prominence. | |
| Latin | prominentia laryngea |
| Precursor | 4th and 6th branchial arch |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | p_36/12669875 |
The human larynx rests in a frame of cartilage bound by ligaments and muscles. At the front is the thyroid cartilage, creating the lump at the front of the neck, known as the laryngeal prominence or more commonly as the Adam's apple. The lump, or protrusion, is caused by the angle of the thyroid cartilage surrounding the larynx. Though more common in men, some women have Adam's apples as well.
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Regarding the etymology of the term "Adam's apple", Webster's 1913 dictionary states that the term "… is so called from a notion that it was caused by the forbidden fruit, (an apple) sticking in the throat of our first parent [i.e. Adam in the Book of Genesis]" .
The Adam's apple is usually more prominent in adult men than in women or prepubescent girls or boys. Note that the growth of the larynx itself during puberty is responsible for the vocal instability in teenage boys, not the Adam's apple. The Adam's apple is merely the protrusion one sees of the thyroid cartilage making up the body of the larynx. Some suggest that the reason for the Adam's apple usually being more prominent in males is that the two laminae of the thyroid cartilage that form the protrusion meet at an angle of 90° in males but that angle is usually 120° in females. This theory, however, seems more like conjecture when in fact that with most women with large Adam's apples, they appear no different than what one would see on a man.
A prominent Adam's apple is commonly considered a male secondary sex characteristic though this is more of a perception than anything pointing to scientific fact since not all males have Adam's apples and there are quite a few women who do. All male and female have adam's apples.
For some women and a few men, the Adam's apple is more prominent than desired, and this is sometimes remedied by a chondrolaryngoplasty (thyroid chondroplasty), a type of plastic surgery to reduce the size of the Adam's apple. This surgery is not without risk as it can adversely affect the voice and cause permanent damage as well as leaving a visible scar.
 Human body features |
HEAD: Skull - Forehead – Eye – Ear – Nose – Mouth – Tongue – Teeth – Jaw – Face – Cheek – Chin
NECK: Throat – Adam's apple - Larynx
TORSO: Shoulders – Spine – Chest – Breast – Ribcage – Abdomen – Belly button
LIMBS: Arm – Elbow – Forearm – Wrist – Hand – Finger (Thumb/Index/Middle/Ring/Little) – Leg – Lap – Thigh – Knee – Calf – Heel – Ankle – Foot – Toe (Hallux)