Aspirations

 

Aspirations

Roxy with daintily crossed paws

This was going to be a short post, but sidetracking occurred as usual.

 I started by thinking about aspiration as ambition. Do we all, did we all have aspirations? Many young children have aspirations, inspired by who or what they see on television and the foibles and fancies of their peer group. Parents hope that their offspring will eventually realise that aspiration needs to be partnered with hard work and tempered by common sense. It’s no good longing to be a pop star if you have no rhythm and cannot sing. (That’s debatable . . . )

In many countries, aspiration relates to the strong puff of air accompanying consonants like ‘k,’ ‘p,’ and ‘t.’ As an example, in English, the initial ‘p’ in ‘pan’ is aspirated, but in ‘span’ it is not. The speaker may not register the breath out, but speaking the first word ‘pan’ close to a lit candle will make the flame flicker. The second, unaspirated word ‘span’ will not. In lieu of a flame, try speaking the words close to the palm of your hand and feel the difference.

Aspiration in English does not affect the meaning of the word, but in other languages, like Hindi, Mandarin Chinese, or Thai it may distinguish completely different words.

Medical aspiration refers to the usually accidental inhalation of fluid or a foreign object into the airway and lungs. This can lead to serious respiratory illness, though commonly it results in coughing, spluttering, watering eyes, and a red face. Medical treatment should always be sought in emergency.

There is also a medical procedure involving aspiration, in which fluid is drawn out of the body with a syringe for biopsies.

Roxy had aspirations last week. She is a Labrador, getting on in years, and becoming lumpy. This is a common occurrence in this    breed and usually signifies nothing of note. Nonetheless, aspirations were taken for biopsy to make sure that nothing sinister was happening. The results came back this week, and all is well. The lumps are all harmless lipomas.

A lipoma is a slow-growing, benign fatty lump. Lipomas can safely be left alone, to be removed surgically only if they are in a position that interferes with movement. However, they should be monitored regularly to track any changes.

People with lipomas may choose to have them removed for cosmetic reasons. Roxy has no such concerns.