Why do we hiccup? - John Cameron

譯者: Ann Chen 審譯者: Helen Lin

Charles Osborne began to hiccup in 1922 after a hog fell on top of him.

在 1922 年，查爾斯·奧斯朋 被一隻掉下來的豬壓住後便開始打嗝

He wasn't cured until 68 years later

直到 68 年以後才痊癒

and is now listed by Guinness as the world record holder

他是現今打嗝最久的 金氏世界記錄保持人

for hiccup longevity.

Meanwhile, Florida teen Jennifer Mee

同時，佛羅里達的青少女珍妮佛·米

may hold the record for the most frequent hiccups,

或許是打嗝最頻繁的記錄保持人

50 times per minute for more than four weeks in 2007.

在 2007 年，她每分鐘打嗝 50 次 持續超過四週

So what causes hiccups?

那是什麼造成打嗝呢？

Doctors point out that a round of hiccups often follows from stimuli

醫師指出，通常在胃部撐大的刺激後 會造成一陣打嗝

that stretch the stomach,

like swallowing air

如吞嚥空氣

or too rapid eating or drinking.

或吃、喝太快

Others associate hiccups with intense emotions

有些人認為打嗝與強烈情緒

or a response to them:

或對其反應有關

laughing,

像是大笑

sobbing,

anxiety,

啜泣

焦慮

and excitement.

和興奮

Let's look at what happens when we hiccup.

讓我們來看看打嗝時發生什麼事

It begins with an involuntary spasm or sudden contraction of the diaphragm,

一開始是橫膈膜 不自主地痙攣或突然收縮

the large dome-shaped muscle below our lungs

橫膈膜是我們用來吸氣的肺臟下面 大片拱形的肌肉

that we use to inhale air.

This is followed almost immediately by the sudden closure of the vocal chords

橫膈收縮後，兩瓣聲帶及其中間的開口 幾乎立刻突然閉合

and the opening between them,

這個開口稱為聲門

which is called the glottis.

The movement of the diaphragm initiates a sudden intake of air,

橫膈膜的動作導致突然吸入空氣

but the closure of the vocal chords stops it from entering the wind pipe

但聲帶閉合 阻止空氣進入氣管到達肺部

and reaching the lungs.

It also creates the characteristic sound: "hic."

因而也產生了特殊的打嗝聲

To date, there is no known function for hiccups.

到目前為止，打嗝的功能未明

They don't seem to provide any medical or physiological advantage.

它們似乎沒有任何醫學或生理上的好處

Why begin to inhale air only to suddenly stop it from actually entering the lungs?

既然會突然阻止空氣進入肺部 那為什麼還要吸入空氣呢？

Anatomical structures,

它在解剖構造或生理機能上 並沒有明確目的

or physiological mechanisms, with no apparent purpose

present challenges to evolutionary biologists.

這帶給演化生物學家許多挑戰

Do such structures serve some hidden function that hasn't yet been discovered?

這樣的結構是否有某些 仍未被發現的秘密功能呢？

Or are they relics of our evolutionary past,

還是我們過去演化的遺跡

having once served some important purpose

曾經擔任某些重要的用途

only to persist into the present as vestigial remnants?

至今成為退化的殘存物呢？

One idea is that hiccups began

有一種想法是打嗝始自

many millions of years before the appearance of humans.

人類出現的數百萬年前

The lung is thought to have evolved as a structure to allow early fish,

肺臟被認為是一種演化的結構

讓生活在溫暖、只有少量氧氣的 汚濁水中之早期魚類

many of which lived in warm, stagnant water with little oxygen,

to take advantage of the abundant oxygen in the air overhead.

能利用水面上空氣中的大量氧氣

When descendants of these animals later moved onto land,

當這些動物的後代遷移到陸地

they moved from gill-based ventilation to air-breathing with lungs.

牠們從以鰓換氣改為以肺呼吸空氣

That's similar to the much more rapid changes faced by frogs today

這類似現今青蛙從有鰓的蝌蚪變成 有肺的成蛙時所面對更快速的改變

as they transition from tadpoles with gills

to adults with lungs.

This hypothesis suggests that the hiccup is a relic of the ancient transition

這個假說認為打嗝是一種遠古 從水生到陸生轉變的遺跡

from water to land.

An inhalation that could move water over gills

送水過鰓的吸氣後

followed by a rapid closure of the glottis preventing water from entering the lungs.

接著快速閉合聲門 以免水進入肺部

That's supported by evidence

有證據顯示 產生打嗝的神經模式

which suggests that the neural patterning involved in generating a hiccup

is almost identical to that responsible for respiration in amphibians.

與兩棲類呼吸的神經模式幾乎相同

Another group of scientists believe that the reflex is retained in us today

另一群科學家相信 這種反射今日仍存在我們身上

because it actually provides an important advantage.

因為它其實有一個重要的好處

They point out that true hiccups are found only in mammals

他們指出真正的打嗝 只出現在哺乳動物

and that they're not retained in birds, lizards, turtles,

並不存在鳥類、蜥蜴、烏龜

or any other exclusively air-breathing animals.

或任何其他呼吸空氣的動物身上

Further, hiccups appear in human babies long before birth

再者，嬰兒早在出生之前就會打嗝

and are far more common in infants that adults.

而且嬰兒比成人更常打嗝

Their explanation for this

他們對此的解釋

involves the uniquely mammalian activity of nursing.

與哺乳類獨特的哺乳活動有關

The ancient hiccup reflex may have been adapted by mammals

這古老的打嗝反射可能是 哺乳類適應演化而形成

to help remove air from the stomach as a sort of glorified burp.

從而協助胃排出空氣 像是一種美妙的飽嗝

The sudden expansion of the diaphragm would raise air from the stomach,

橫膈膜突然伸展會使胃中的空氣上升

while a closure of the glottis would prevent milk from entering the lungs.

而聲門閉合則避免牛奶進入肺臟

Sometimes, a bout of hiccups will go on and on,

有時候，打嗝會持續一陣子

and we try home remedies:

我們會嘗試家庭偏方

sipping continuously from a glass of cold water,

像是一口氣喝下冷水

holding one's breath,

憋氣

a mouthful of honey or peanut butter,

吃一大口蜂蜜或花生醬

breathing into a paper bag,

套紙袋呼吸

or being suddenly frightened.

或突然受驚嚇

Unfortunately, scientists have yet to verify that any one cure

不幸地，科學家尚未證明有哪一種治療

works better or more consistently than others.

比其他的更好或更有效

However, we do know one thing that definitely doesn't work.

然而，我們確實知道 這個治療方法是鐵定無效