the expression of emotion in man and animals-第41章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


ecify　only　a　few。　　A　little　girl；　a　year　and　a　half　old；　was　teased　by　some　other　children；　and　before　bursting　into　tears　her　eyebrows　became　decidedly　oblique。　With　an　older　girl　the　same　obliquity　was　observed；　with　the　inner　ends　of　the　eyebrows　plainly　puckered；　and　at　the　same　time　the　corners　of　the　mouth　were　drawn　downwards。　As　soon　as　she　burst　into　tears；　the　features　all　changed　and　this　peculiar　expression　vanished。　　Again；　after　a　little　boy　had　been　vaccinated；　which　made　him　scream　and　cry　violently；　the　surgeon　gave　him　an　orange　brought　for　the　purpose；　and　this　pleased　the　child　much；　as　he　stopped　crying　all　the　characteristic　movements　were　observed；　including　the　formation　of　rectangular　wrinkles　in　the　middle　of　the　forehead。　Lastly；　I　met　on　the　road　a　little　girl　three　or　four　years　old；　who　had　been　frightened　by　a　dog；　and　when　I　asked　her　what　was　the　matter；　she　stopped　whimpering；　and　her　eyebrows　instantly　became　oblique　to　an　extraordinary　degree。


＇5＇　Mecanisme　de　la　Phys。　　Humaine；　Album；　p。　　15。

Here　then；　as　I　cannot　doubt；　we　have　the　key　to　the　problem　why　the　central　fasciae　of　the　frontal　muscle　and　the　muscles　round　the　eyes　contract　in　opposition　to　each　other　under　the　influence　of　grief；whether　their　contraction　be　prolonged；　as　with　the　melancholic　insane；　or　momentary；　from　some　trifling　cause　of　distress。　　We　have　all　of　us；　as　infants；　repeatedly　contracted　our　orbicular；　corrugator；　and　pyramidal　muscles；　in　order　to　protect　our　eyes　whilst　screaming；　our　progenitors　before　us　have　done　the　same　during　many　generations；　and　though　with　advancing　years　we　easily　prevent；　when　feeling　distressed；　the　utterance　of　screams；　we　cannot　from　long　habit　always　prevent　a　slight　contraction　of　the　above…named　muscles；　nor　indeed　do　we　observe　their　contraction　in　ourselves；　or　attempt　to　stop　it；　if　slight。　　But　the　pyramidal　muscles　seem　to　be　less　under　the　command　of　the　will　than　the　other　related　muscles；　and　if　they　be　well　developed；　their　contraction　can　be　checked　only　by　the　antagonistic　contraction　of　the　central　fasciae　of　the　frontal　muscle。　The　result　which　necessarily　follows；　if　these　fasciae　contract　energetically；　is　the　oblique　drawing　up　of　the　eyebrows；　the　puckering　of　their　inner　ends；　and　the　formation　of　rectangular　furrows　on　the　middle　of　the　forehead。　As　children　and　women　cry　much　more　freely　than　men；　and　as　grown…up　persons　of　both　sexes　rarely　weep　except　from　mental　distress；　we　can　understand　why　the　grief…muscles　are　more　frequently　seen　in　action；　as　I　believe　to　be　the　case；　with　children　and　women　than　with　men；　and　with　adults　of　both　sexes　from　mental　distress　alone。　　In　some　of　the　cases　before　recorded；　as　in　that　of　the　poor　Dhangar　woman　and　of　the　Hindustani　man；　the　action　of　the　grief…muscles　was　quickly　followed　by　bitter　weeping。　　In　all　cases　of　distress；　whether　great　or　small；　our　brains　tend　through　long　habit　to　send　an　order　to　certain　muscles　to　contract；　as　if　we　were　still　infants　on　the　point　of　screaming　out；　but　this　order　we；　by　the　wondrous　power　of　the　will；　and　through　habit；　are　able　partially　to　counteract；　although　this　is　effected　unconsciously；　as　far　as　the　means　of　counteraction　are　concerned。


_On　the　depression　of　the　corners　of　the　mouth_。This　action　is　effected　by　the　_depressores　anguili　oris_　（see　letter　K　in　figs。　1　and　2）。　The　fibres　of　this　muscle　diverge　downwards；　with　the　upper　convergent　ends　attached　round　the　angles　of　the　mouth；　and　to　the　lower　lip　a　little　way　within　the　angles。＇6＇　Some　of　the　fibres　appear　to　be　antagonistic　to　the　great　zygomatic　muscle；　and　others　to　the　several　muscles　running　to　the　outer　part　of　the　upper　lip。　The　contraction　of　this　muscle　draws　downwards　and　outwards　the　corners　of　the　mouth；　including　the　outer　part　of　the　upper　lip；　and　even　in　a　slight　degree　the　wings　of　the　nostrils。　　When　the　mouth　is　closed　and　this　muscle　acts；　the　commissure　or　line　of　junction　of　the　two　lips　forms　a　curved　line　with　the　concavity　downwards；＇7＇　and　the　lips　themselves　are　generally　somewhat　protruded；　especially　the　lower　one。　The　mouth　in　this　state　is　well　represented　in　the　two　photographs　（Plate　II。；　figs。　　6　and　7）　by　Mr。　Rejlander。　　The　upper　boy　（fig。　6）　had　just　stopped　crying；　after　receiving　a　slap　on　the　face　from　another　boy；　and　the　right　moment　was　seized　for　photographing　him。


＇6＇　Henle；　Handbuch　der　Anat。　　des　Menschen；　1858；　B。　i。　　s。　　148；　figs。　68　and　69。

＇7＇　See　the　account　of　the　action　of　this　muscle　by　Dr。　Duchenne；　‘Mecanisme　de　la　Physionomie　Humaine；　Album　（1862）；　viii。　　p。　　34。

The　expression　of　low　spirits；　grief　or　dejection；　due　to　the　contraction　of　this　muscle　has　been　noticed　by　every　one　who　has　written　on　the　subject。　To　say　that　a　person　〃is　down　in　the　mouth；〃　is　synonymous　with　saying　that　he　is　out　of　spirits。　　The　depression　of　the　corners　may　often　be　seen；　as　already　stated　on　the　authority　of　Dr。　Crichton　Browne　and　Mr。　Nicol；　with　the　melancholic　insane；　and　was　well　exhibited　in　some　photographs　sent　to　me　by　the　former　gentleman；　of　patients　with　a　strong　tendency　to　suicide。　It　has　been　observed　with　men　belonging　to　various　races；　namely　with　Hindoos；　the　dark　hill…tribes　of　India；　Malays；　and；　as　the　Rev。　Mr。　Hagenauer　informs　me；　with　the　aborigines　of　Australia。

When　infants　scream　they　firmly　contract　the　muscles　round　their　eyes；　and　this　draws　up　the　upper　lip；　and　as　they　have　to　keep　their　mouths　widely　open；　the　depressor　muscles　running　to　the　corners　are　likewise　brought　into　strong　action。　This　generally；　but　not　invariably；　causes　a　slight　angular　bend　in　the　lower　lip　on　both　sides；　near　the　corners　of　the　mouth。　The　result　of　the　upper　and　lower　lip　being　thus　acted　on　is　that　the　mouth　assumes　a　squarish　outline。　　The　contraction　of　the　depressor　muscle　is　best　seen　in　infants　when　not　screaming　violently；　and　especially　just　before　they　begin；　or　when　they　cease　to　scream。　Their　little　faces　then　acquire　an　extremely　piteous　expression；　as　I　continually　observed　with　my　own　infants　between　the　ages　of　about　six　weeks　and　two　or　three　months。　　Sometimes；　when　they　are　struggling　against　a　crying…fit；　the　outline　of　the　mouth　is　curved　in　so　exaggerated　a　manner　as　to　be　like　a　horseshoe；　and　the　expression　of　misery　then　becomes　a　ludicrous　caricature。

The　explanation　of　the　contraction　of　this　muscle；　under　the　influence　of　low　spirits　or　dejection；　apparently　follows　from　the　same　general　principles　as　in　the　case　of　the　obliquity　of　the　eyebrows。　Dr。　Duchenne　informs　me　that　he　concludes　from　his　observations；　now　prolonged　during　many　years；　that　this　is　one　of　the　facial　muscles　which　is　least　under　the　control　of　the　will。　　This　fact　may　indeed　be　inferred　from　what　has　just　been　stated　with　respect　to　infants　when　doubtfully　beginning　to　cry；　or　endeavouring　to　stop　crying；　for　they　then　generally　command　all　the　other　facial　muscles　more　effectually　than　they　do　the　depressors　of　the　corners　of　the　mouth。　Two　excellent　observers　who　had　no　theory　on　the　subject；　one　of　them　a　surgeon；　carefully　watched　for　me　some　older　children　and　women　as　with　some　opposed　struggling　they　very　gradually　approached　the　point　of　bursting　out　into　tears；　and　both　observers　felt　sure　that　the　depressors　began　to　act　before　any　of　the　other　muscles。　Now　as　the　depressors　have　been　repeatedly　brought　into　strong　action　during　infancy　in　many　generations；　nerve…force　will　tend　to　flow；　on　the　principle　of　long　associated　habit；　to　these　muscles　as　well　as　to　various　other　facial　muscles；　whenever　in　after　life　even　a　slight　feeling　of　distress　is　experienced。　But　as　the　depressors　are　somewhat　less　under　the　control　of　the　will　than　most　of　the　other　muscles；　we　might　expect　that　they　would　often　slightly　contract；　whilst　the　others　remained　passive。　It　is　remarkable　how　small　a　depression　of　the　corners　of　the　mouth　gives　to　the　countenance　an　expression　of　low　spirits　or　dejection；　so　that　an　extremely　slight　contraction　of　these　muscles　would　be　sufficient　to　betray　this　state　of　mind。


I　may　here　mention　a　trifling　observation；　as　it　will　serve　to　sum　up　our　present　subject。　　An　old　lady　with　a　comfortabl