Klarinet Archive - Posting 000697.txt from 1997/03

From: "Diane Karius, Ph.D." <dikarius@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Mucus question (was Water vs. Saliva)
Date: Fri, 21 Mar 1997 09:02:34 -0500

> All this talk about mucus has got me wondering about the old question of
> what drips out of the clarinet. One of the discussions that occasionally
> goes on at my house is whether it is harmless condensation or spit. I
> always try to convince the other party that it's just condensation.
>
> Now this mucus thread would seem to imply that if it were spit there would
> eventually be some sort of sedimentation buildup.
>
> Does anyone have an authoritative answer on this?
>
> Barry
>
> P.S. Just in case this thread hasn't deteriorated enough, can anyone
> explain just what exactly mucus is composed of?
>
I'm not sure I would count as "authoritative", but ...
Regarding your first question - I strongly suspect that it is
condensation. The air leaving your lungs has been fully saturated
with water (and warmed to body temperature.) as you inhaled it. Once you
blow the air through the clarinet, it begins to cool from body temp to
whatever the temp. of the clarinet is (assumed to be less than body
temp. but more than room temp.). Since the amount of water that the air
will hold is directly related to the temperature, some amount of water
will leave the air you're breathing out and condense on the horn. On
very hot days (especially hot & dry), the clarinet is warmer & the air
(unless it is very humid in the room) will be able to "hold" the water.
Mucus (straight - what is in spit is very diluted by water )
is a peptide (protein) called mucin with several different sugars
attached to it. The protein doesn't vary much, but different mucus
glands under different conditions will attach different sugars to the
protein, so not all mucus is identical.
Sorry for the dissertation...
Diane R. Karius, Ph.D.
Department of Physiology
University of Health Sciences
2105 Independence Ave.
Kansas City, MO 64124
email: dikarius@-----.EDU

   
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