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Write a short note on: Adam’s apple.

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Last updated date: 13th Jun 2024
Total views: 402.3k
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Answer
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Hint: The lumps that stick out in the front of a person's neck are usually larger in men than women, and that move when a person talks or swallows. The voice becomes hoarse because the vocal cords become longer and thick.
Complete answer step by step answer:
Adam’s apple is made of cartilage which is also known as the laryngeal prominence which is a connective tissue present throughout the body. The cartilage is strong but it is softer and more flexible than bone, and it makes up several other areas of the neck. Just above the thyroid, it grows around the front of the larynx. It is usually more prominent in males. During puberty, the larynx grows and pushes the developing Adam’s apple outward or the larynx or voice box is the area at the front of the neck that contains the vocal cords. Sound is produced by the vibration of these folds of tissue. Along with the mouth and nasal passages, the larynx together produces the voice. It also protects the airways during swallowing. The larynx grows extensively during puberty. As there is more room for the vibrations to resonate, as a result, larger larynx produces deeper sounds. If any injury occurs the cartilaginous shield around the larynx protects it. Adam’s apple protrudes as the larynx grows, but it serves no individual function.

Additional information:
1) Hormonal differences affect the development of the larynx, and Adam’s apple, as a result of different concentrations of hormones, a male may have a smaller larynx and a voice with a higher pitch. For the same reason, a female may have a larger larynx, a more prominent Adam’s apple, and a voice with a lower pitch.
2) Cosmetic surgery to reshape Adam's apple is called chondrolaryngoplasty (thyroid cartilage reduction) . Complications tend to be few any surgery needed and it is also effective.
3) In 1895, the Basle Nomina Anatomica introduced the medical term "prominentia laryngea" (laryngeal prominence).

Note: On the origin of the term "Adam's apple", there are two main theories. The first one is "Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable" and the 1913 edition of Webster's Dictionary points at an ancient belief that a piece of forbidden apple was embedded in the throat of Adam, who according to the Abrahamic religions was the first man. But, the story is mentioned neither in the Bible nor in any other Judeo-Christian or Islamic writings.
In the other theory, it is claimed that the Latin phrase to designate the laryngeal prominence was very probably translated incorrectly from the beginning by Linguist Alexander Gode. In Latin, the phrase was "pomum Adami" (literally: 'Adam's apple') but the confusion lies in the fact that in the Hebrew language the proper name "Adam" literally means "man", and the word for "apple" is similar to the word "tafuach" means "swollen", which means in combination: the swelling of a man.