Philtrum

Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Infobox Anatomy

WikiDoc Resources for Philtrum

Articles

Most recent articles on Philtrum

Most cited articles on Philtrum

Review articles on Philtrum

Articles on Philtrum in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ

Media

Powerpoint slides on Philtrum

Images of Philtrum

Photos of Philtrum

Podcasts & MP3s on Philtrum

Videos on Philtrum

Evidence Based Medicine

Cochrane Collaboration on Philtrum

Bandolier on Philtrum

TRIP on Philtrum

Clinical Trials

Ongoing Trials on Philtrum at Clinical Trials.gov

Trial results on Philtrum

Clinical Trials on Philtrum at Google

Guidelines / Policies / Govt

US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Philtrum

NICE Guidance on Philtrum

NHS PRODIGY Guidance

FDA on Philtrum

CDC on Philtrum

Books

Books on Philtrum

News

Philtrum in the news

Be alerted to news on Philtrum

News trends on Philtrum

Commentary

Blogs on Philtrum

Definitions

Definitions of Philtrum

Patient Resources / Community

Patient resources on Philtrum

Discussion groups on Philtrum

Patient Handouts on Philtrum

Directions to Hospitals Treating Philtrum

Risk calculators and risk factors for Philtrum

Healthcare Provider Resources

Symptoms of Philtrum

Causes & Risk Factors for Philtrum

Diagnostic studies for Philtrum

Treatment of Philtrum

Continuing Medical Education (CME)

CME Programs on Philtrum

International

Philtrum en Espanol

Philtrum en Francais

Business

Philtrum in the Marketplace

Patents on Philtrum

Experimental / Informatics

List of terms related to Philtrum

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Please Take Over This Page and Apply to be Editor-In-Chief for this topic: There can be one or more than one Editor-In-Chief. You may also apply to be an Associate Editor-In-Chief of one of the subtopics below. Please mail us [2] to indicate your interest in serving either as an Editor-In-Chief of the entire topic or as an Associate Editor-In-Chief for a subtopic. Please be sure to attach your CV and or biographical sketch.

Overview

The philtrum (Greek philtron, from philein, "to love; to kiss"), also known as the infranasal depression, is the vertical groove in the upper lip, formed where the nasomedial and maxillary processes meet during embryonic development.

The philtrum allows humans to express a much larger range of lip motions than would otherwise be possible, which enhances vocal and non-verbal communication.

Pathology

When these processes fail to fuse fully, a cleft lip (sometimes called a "hare lip") can result.

A flattened or smooth philtrum can be a symptom of Fetal alcohol syndrome.[1]

Etymology

The ancient Greeks used to believe that the philtrum was one of the most erogenous spots on the human body, hence the etymology.[2]

Folklore

According to the Jewish Talmud (Niddah 30b), God sends an angel to each womb and teaches a baby all the wisdom that can be obtained. Just before the unborn baby comes out, the angel touches it between the upper lip and the nose and all that it has taught the baby is forgotten.

Commentries on this particular story can be found in "What the Angel Taught you" by Rabbi Noah Weinberg and Yaakov Salomon (ISBN 1-57819-134-3).

Similarly, in other folksayings, it is said that an angel "shushes" the baby in the womb, to stop it from talking about heaven, or to forget. Other stories say that it is an indent left by the finger of God. Still more say that it is the spot where the angel put his finger to "shush" the child after having told it a secret. (This was memorably referenced in the film The Prophecy by the arch-angel Gabriel (Christopher Walken).)

See also

References

Template:SIB Template:Head and neck general

Template:WH Template:WS