Greypins@a... wrote:
Greypins@a... wrote:
> i fail to see what an enlarged chest cavity would contribute to
> either power or long breath.
I personally think the alleged superhuman powers of the castrati were
greatly exaggerated, but here is the theory as to why the larger rib
cages allowed better breath management:
It wasn't the size of the rib cage itself - the expansive potential
of the rib cage was a symptom of something else - rib bones which
were not completely ossified due to the testosterone deficiency. The
softer ribs allowed for more lung capacity, and finely graded
exhalation. Could also be that castrati had years of intensive
training, so who will ever know?
Another theory is that the ossification thing resulted in longer leg
bones, since they didn't set as quickly as they do in intact men.
That's the explanation for why they were so tall, but it could just
be that they were better fed than the average 18th century Italian
guy.
Tako Oda
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