Makerere University opens soon.

As it was said earlier by the vice chancellor pro. Nawangwe.

Nawangwe’s image.

Incision over the lower neck in an infant usually results in
the scar lying over the upper sternum by later childhood.
The left brachiocephalic vein crosses the trachea so high in the superior mediastinum that it
encroaches above the jugular notch into the neck, especially if it is engorged and the head extended;
this should be remembered by the surgeon performing tracheotomy on the young child.
The shortness of the neck of the newborn involves a higher position of its viscera. The larynx is
nearer the base of the tongue and the upper border of the epiglottis is at the level of the second
cervical vertebra. From these elevated positions their descent is slow and they reach their adult
levels only after the seventh year. The larynx and trachea are of small bore at birth. The vocal cords
are about 5 mm long by the end of the first year. Laryngitis and tracheitis in infancy thus carry far
more risk of respiratory obstruction than they do in later years. Up to the age of puberty there is no
difference between the male and female larynx. At puberty the male larynx increases rapidly in size
and the median angle of the thyroid cartilage moves forwards (laryngeal prominence). Consequently
the vocal cords elongate from 8 to 16 mm within a year, resulting in the characteristic ‘breaking’ of
the voice. Castration or failure of testicular hormone prevents this change taking place.
Thorax
The thoracic cage of the child differs from that of the adult in being more barrel-shaped. A cross￾section of the infant thorax is nearly circular; that of the adult is oval, the transverse being thrice the
length of the anteroposterior diameter. The large thymus extends from the lower part of the neck
through the superior into the anterior mediastinum; it regresses at puberty. The