Philtrum

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Overview

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

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.

Etymology

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

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

• Philtrum moustache
• Mouth
• Globular process

References

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