Falsetto [Ital.,=diminutive of false], high-pitched, unnatural tones above the normal register of the male voice, produced, according to some theories, by the vibration of only the edges of th...

Croup, acute obstructive laryngitis in young children, usually between the ages of three and six. The manifestations are a high-pitched cough and difficulty in breathing, owing to a spasm or s...

Laryngitis, inflammation of the mucous membrane of the voice box, or larynx, usually accompanied by hoarseness, sore throat, and coughing. Acute laryngitis is often a secondary bacterial infec...

Castrato [Ital.,=castrated], a male singer with an artificially created soprano or alto voice, the result of castration in boyhood. The combination of the larynx of a youth and the chest and l...

Tracheotomy, surgical incision into the trachea, or windpipe. The operation is performed when the windpipe has become blocked, e.g., by the presence of some foreign object or by swelling of th...

Voice, sound produced by living beings. The source of the sound in human speaking and singing is the vibration of the vocal cords, which are inside the larynx, and the production of the sounds...

Birdsong. Song, call notes, and certain mechanical sounds constitute the language of birds. Song is produced in the syrinx, whose firm walls are derived from the rings of the trachea, and is m...

Mackenzie, Sir Morell, 1837–92, English physician and laryngologist. A skillful surgeon, he was called to Germany to treat the crown prince (later Frederick III, emperor of Germany), who event...

Trachea or windpipe, principal tube that carries air to and from the lungs. It is about 41/2 in. (11.4 cm) long and about 3/4 in. (1.9 cm) in diameter in the adult. It extends from the larynx ...

Pharynx, area of the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts which lies between the mouth and the esophagus. In humans, the pharynx is a cone-shaped tube about 41/2 in. (11.43 cm) long. At its...