the expression of emotion in man and animals-第39章

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to　be　correct。　But　this　is　not　a　point　of　any　importance　with　respect　to　the　expression　which　is　caused　by　the　obliquity　of　the　eyebrows；　nor　of　much　importance　to　the　theory　of　its　origin。

‘I　am　greatly　indebted　to　Dr。　Duchenne　for　permission　to　have　these　two　photographs　（figs。　1　and　2）　reproduced　by　the　heliotype　process　from　his　work　in　folio。　　Many　of　the　foregoing　remarks　on　the　furrowing　of　the　skin；　when　the　eyebrows　are　rendered　oblique；　are　taken　from　his　excellent　discussion　on　this　subject。　two　eyebrows；　as　before　remarked；　are　not　equally　acted　on。　That　the　expression　is　true；　may　be　inferred　from　the　fact　that　out　of　fifteen　persons；　to　whom　the　original　photograph　was　shown；　without　any　clue　to　what　was　intended　being　given　them；　fourteen　immediately　answered；　〃despairing　sorrow；〃　〃suffering　endurance；〃　〃melancholy；〃　and　so　forth。　　The　history　of　fig。　5　is　rather　curious：　　I　saw　the　photograph　in　a　shop…window；　and　took　it　to　Mr。　Rejlander　for　the　sake　of　finding　out　by　whom　it　had　been　made；　remarking　to　him　how　pathetic　the　expression　was。　He　answered；　〃I　made　it；　and　it　was　likely　to　be　pathetic；　for　the　boy　in　a　few　minutes　burst　out　crying。〃　　He　then　showed　me　a　photograph　of　the　same　boy　in　a　placid　state；　which　I　have　had　（fig。　4）　reproduced。　　In　fig。　　6；　a　trace　of　obliquity　in　the　eyebrows　may　be　detected；　but　this　figure；　as　well　as　fig。　7；　is　given　to　show　the　depression　of　the　corners　of　the　mouth；　to　which　subject　I　shall　presently　refer。

Few　persons；　without　some　practice；　can　voluntarily　act　on　their　grief…muscles；　but　after　repeated　trials　a　considerable　number　succeed；　whilst　others　never　can。　　The　degree　of　obliquity　in　the　eyebrows；　whether　assumed　voluntarily　or　unconsciously；　differs　much　in　different　persons。　　With　some　who　apparently　have　unusually　strong　pyramidal　muscles；　the　contraction　of　the　central　fasciae　of　the　frontal　muscle；　although　it　may　be　energetic；　as　shown　by　the　quadrangular　furrows　on　the　forehead；　does　not　raise　the　inner　ends　of　the　eyebrows；　but　only　prevents　their　being　so　much　lowered　as　they　otherwise　would　have　been。　As　far　as　I　have　been　able　to　observe；　the　grief…muscles　are　brought　into　action　much　more　frequently　by　children　and　women　than　by　men。　They　are　rarely　acted　on；　at　least　with　grown…up　persons；　from　bodily　pain；　but　almost　exclusively　from　mental　distress。　Two　persons　who；　after　some　practice；　succeeded　in　acting　on　their　grief…muscles；　found　by　looking　at　a　mirror　that　when　they　made　their　eyebrows　oblique；　they　unintentionally　at　the　same　time　depressed　the　corners　of　their　mouths；　and　this　is　often　the　case　when　the　expression　is　naturally　assumed。

The　power　to　bring　the　grief…muscles　freely　into　play　appears　to　be　hereditary；　like　almost　every　other　human　faculty。　A　lady　belonging　to　a　family　famous　for　having　produced　an　extraordinary　number　of　great　actors　and　actresses；　and　who　can　herself　give　this　expression　〃with　singular　precision；〃　told　Dr。　Crichton　Browne　that　all　her　family　had　possessed　the　power　in　a　remarkable　degree。　The　same　hereditary　tendency　is　said　to　have　extended；　as　I　likewise　hear　from　Dr。　Browne；　to　the　last　descendant　of　the　family；　which　gave　rise　to　Sir　Walter　Scott's　novel　of　‘Red　Gauntlet；'　but　the　hero　is　described　as　contracting　his　forehead　into　a　horseshoe　mark　from　any　strong　emotion。　　I　have　also　seen　a　young　woman　whose　forehead　seemed　almost　habitually　thus　contracted；　independently　of　any　emotion　being　at　the　time　felt。

The　grief…muscles　are　not　very　frequently　brought　into　play；　and　as　the　action　is　often　momentary；　it　easily　escapes　observation。　Although　the　expression；　when　observed；　is　universally　and　instantly　recognized　as　that　of　grief　or　anxiety；　yet　not　one　person　out　of　a　thousand　who　has　never　studied　the　subject；　is　able　to　say　precisely　what　change　passes　over　the　sufferer's　face。　Hence　probably　it　is　that　this　expression　is　not　even　alluded　to；　as　far　as　I　have　noticed；　in　any　work　of　fiction；　with　the　exception　of　‘Red　Gauntlet'　and　of　one　other　novel；　and　the　authoress　of　the　latter；　as　I　am　informed；　belongs　to　the　famous　family　of　actors　just　alluded　to；　so　that　her　attention　may　have　been　specially　called　to　the　subject。

The　ancient　Greek　sculptors　were　familiar　with　the　expression；　as　shown　in　the　statues　of　the　Laocoon　and　Arretino；　but；　as　Duchenne　remarks；　they　carried　the　transverse　furrows　across　the　whole　breadth　of　the　forehead；　and　thus　committed　a　great　anatomical　mistake：　this　is　likewise　the　case　in　some　modern　statues。　It　is；　however；　more　probable　that　these　wonderfully　accurate　observers　intentionally　sacrificed　truth　for　the　sake　of　beauty；　than　that　they　made　a　mistake；　for　rectangular　furrows　on　the　forehead　would　not　have　had　a　grand　appearance　on　the　marble。　The　expression；　in　its　fully　developed　condition；　is；　as　far　as　I　can　discover；　not　often　represented　in　pictures　by　the　old　masters；　no　doubt　owing　to　the　same　cause；　but　a　lady　who　is　perfectly　familiar　with　this　expression；　informs　me　that　in　Fra　Angelico's　‘Descent　from　the　Cross；'　in　Florence；　it　is　clearly　exhibited　in　one　of　the　figures　on　the　right…hand；　and　I　could　add　a　few　other　instances。

Dr。　Crichton　Browne；　at　my　request；　closely　attended　to　this　expression　in　the　numerous　insane　patients　under　his　care　in　the　West　Riding　Asylum；　and　he　is　familiar　with　Duchenne's　photographs　of　the　action　of　the　grief…muscles。　He　informs　me　that　they　may　constantly　be　seen　in　energetic　action　in　cases　of　melancholia；　and　especially　of　hypochondria；　and　that　the　persistent　lines　or　furrows；　due　to　their　habitual　contraction；　are　characteristic　of　the　physiognomy　of　the　insane　belonging　to　these　two　classes。　　Dr。　Browne　carefully　observed　for　me　during　a　considerable　period　three　cases　of　hypochondria；　in　which　the　grief…muscles　were　persistently　contracted。　In　one　of　these；　a　widow；　aged　51；　fancied　that　she　had　lost　all　her　viscera；　and　that　her　whole　body　was　empty。　She　wore　an　expression　of　great　distress；　and　beat　her　semi…closed　hands　rhythmically　together　for　hours。　　The　grief…muscles　were　permanently　contracted；　and　the　upper　eyelids　arched。　This　condition　lasted　for　months；　she　then　recovered；　and　her　countenance　resumed　its　natural　expression。　A　second　case　presented　nearly　the　same　peculiarities；　with　the　addition　that　the　corners　of　the　mouth　were　depressed。

Mr。　Patrick　Nicol　has　also　kindly　observed　for　me　several　cases　in　the　Sussex　Lunatic　Asylum；　and　has　communicated　to　me　full　details　with　respect　to　three　of　them；　but　they　need　not　here　be　given。　From　his　observations　on　melancholic　patients；　Mr。　Nicol　concludes　that　the　inner　ends　of　the　eyebrows　are　almost　always　more　or　less　raised；　with　the　wrinkles　on　the　forehead　more　or　less　plainly　marked。　In　the　case　of　one　young　woman；　these　wrinkles　were　observed　to　be　in　constant　slight　play　or　movement。　　In　some　cases　the　corners　of　the　mouth　are　depressed；　but　often　only　in　a　slight　degree。　Some　amount　of　difference　in　the　expression　of　the　several　melancholic　patients　could　almost　always　be　observed。　　The　eyelids　generally　droop；　and　the　skin　near　their　outer　corners　and　beneath　them　is　wrinkled。　The　naso…labial　fold；　which　runs　from　the　wings　of　the　nostrils　to　the　corners　of　the　mouth；　and　which　is　so　conspicuous　in　blubbering　children；　is　often　plainly　marked　in　these　patients。

Although　with　the　insane　the　grief…muscles　often　act　persistently；　yet　in　ordinary　cases　they　are　sometimes　brought　unconsciously　into　momentary　action　by　ludicrously　slight　causes。　A　gentleman　rewarded　a　young　lady　by　an　absurdly　small　present；　she　pretended　to　be　offended；　and　as　she　upbraided　him；　her　eyebrows　became　extremely　oblique；　with　the　forehead　properly　wrinkled。　Another　young　lady　and　a　youth；　both　in　the　highest　spirits；　were　eagerly　talking　together　with　extraordinary　rapidity；　and　I　noticed　that；　as　often　as　the　young　lady　was　beaten；　and　could　not　get　out　her　words　fast　enough；　her　eyebrows　went　obliquely　upwards；　and　rectangular　furrows　were　formed　on　her　forehead。　　She　thus　each　time　hoisted　a　flag　of　distress；　and　this　she　did　half…a…dozen　times　in　the　course　of　a　few　minutes。　I　made　no　remark　on　the　subject；　but　on　a　subsequent　occasion　I　ask