Phatwater on the Natchez Gauge today is 45.01′ and still climbing but is expected to begin falling by Friday.  Waiting to see what the weather will do.

I feel like such a bonehead.  This thing:

is called the “philtrum”.  Same as it is in humans.  I had never before heard it referred to as the “philtrum”, could find no citation which mentioned it, in spite of my valiant efforts.  Of course, I’d never heard of the popliteus until I tore one of mine.  The popliteus is a small muscle that hides behind the knee. I suspect field goal kickers, or, if you prefer, “place kickers”, who can punch one from beyond 50 yards have pretty well developed popliteuses.  Or would that be poplitei?  Mine was torn in an incident involving alcohol and a fish fry in 1973, in a house that is no more.  That is how I came to know of this muscle.  It was never mentioned, that I recall, in Zoology 101. It appears bullfrogs are lacking the popliteus. Bullfrogs are what I learned anatomy on. Or, if you prefer, “that on which I learned anatomy.”  It also appears bullfrogs are lacking a philtrum.  I don’t see one here,

although there are a pair of nasal ridges, rostro-axially situated in keeping with where the Phrog Philtrum would be if Phrogs had one.

Many thanks to Phatwater Veterinarian and Veteran Dr. Glen Dupree, to Tom Meyer, Tom McNease, and Chief Petty Officer Braxton Barden, for giving me a lot of lip on this lip issue.

Tom Meyer puts it like this:

Keith,

The groove near the arrow in the photo of the lab in you latest blog is known as a PHILTRUM, also known as the infranasal depression.

You have one too.

One theory of it’s origin is called the “Aquatic Ape Hypothesis”, quite apropos considering all the naked talking monkeys (see photo above) flailing sticks who whisked the Phatwater into a froth, an altogether groovy endeavor (pun intended). The hypothesis postulates (say that 5 times fast if you can:) that the groove combined with a hooded nostril  could have served as sort of a nose clip to keep water out of the airway when the ape exceeded the envelope of performance of his proto-kayak, likely a log. It’s not a widely accepted hypothesis, but then that might be what makes it so believable. After all, wouldn’t the presence of the same structure in an “Aquatic Wolf” (read Lab) support such a hypothesis? The lab has one. You have one. QED!

Another interesting aspect of this groove (pun unintended, but hey! I’ll take when can I get it) is the mythology attached to it. It has to do with Gods and Angels “shushing” babies by touching them between the nose and lip, hence the gesture you have undoubtedly used to tell your recon team to be quiet.  I haven’t decided whether that makes you a God or an Angel. You didn’t cover your mouth with your hand, you raised a forefinger and laid it in your philtrum; and there was no doubt what that meant. a universal code for silence.

By the way, if your lab’s philtrum was not fully fused he could be said to have a “harelip” and would undoubtedly vocalize by barking “nyarf-nyarf” (God forgive me, that was sooo insenstive).

Tom Meyer

All for now-KB