the expression of emotion in man and animals-第65章

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ensibility　from　chloroform。　Dr。　W。　Ogle　observed　two　male　patients；　suffering　from　such　difficulty　in　breathing；　that　the　trachea　had　to　be　opened；　and　in　both　the　platysma　was　strongly　contracted。　　One　of　these　men　overheard　the　conversation　of　the　surgeons　surrounding　him；　and　when　he　was　able　to　speak；　declared　that　he　had　not　been　frightened。　In　some　other　cases　of　extreme　difficulty　of　respiration；　though　not　requiring　tracheotomy；　observed　by　Drs。　　Ogle　and　Langstaff；　the　platysma　was　not　contracted。

Mr。　J。　Wood；　who　has　studied　with　such　care　the　muscles　of　the　human　body；　as　shown　by　his　various　publications；　has　often　seen　the　platysma　contracted　in　vomiting；　nausea；　and　disgust；　also　in　children　and　adults　under　the　influence　of　rage；for　instance；　in　Irishwomen；　quarrelling　and　brawling　together　with　angry　gesticulations。　This　may　possibly　have　been　due　to　their　high　and　angry　tones；　for　I　know　a　lady；　an　excellent　musician；　who；　in　singing　certain　high　notes；　always　contracts　her　platysma。　　So　does　a　young　man；　as　I　have　observed；　in　sounding　certain　notes　on　the　flute。　Mr。　J。　Wood　informs　me　that　he　has　found　the　platysma　best　developed　in　persons　with　thick　necks　and　broad　shoulders；　and　that　in　families　inheriting　these　peculiarities；　its　development　is　usually　associated　with　much　voluntary　power　over　the　homologous　occipito…frontalis　muscle；　by　which　the　scalp　can　be　moved。

None　of　the　foregoing　cases　appear　to　throw　any　light　on　the　contraction　of　the　platysma　from　fear；　but　it　is　different；　I　think；　with　the　following　cases。　　The　gentleman　before　referred　to；　who　can　voluntarily　act　on　this　muscle　only　on　one　side　of　his　neck；　is　positive　that　it　contracts　on　both　sides　whenever　he　is　startled。　Evidence　has　already　been　given　showing　that　this　muscle　sometimes　contracts；　perhaps　for　the　sake　of　opening　the　mouth　widely；　when　the　breathing　is　rendered　difficult　by　disease；　and　during　the　deep　inspirations　of　crying…fits　before　an　operation。　Now；　whenever　a　person　starts　at　any　sudden　sight　or　sound；　he　instantaneously　draws　a　deep　breath；　and　thus　the　contraction　of　the　platysma　may　possibly　have　become　associated　with　the　sense　of　fear。　　But　there　is；　I　believe；　a　more　efficient　relation。　The　first　sensation　of　fear；　or　the　imagination　of　something　dreadful；　commonly　excites　a　shudder。　　I　have　caught　myself　giving　a　little　involuntary　shudder　at　a　painful　thought；　and　I　distinctly　perceived　that　my　platysma　contracted；　so　it　does　if　I　simulate　a　shudder。　　I　have　asked　others　to　act　in　this　manner；　and　in　some　the　muscle　contracted；　but　not　in　others。　One　of　my　sons；　whilst　getting　out　of　bed；　shuddered　from　the　cold；　and；　as　he　happened　to　have　his　hand　on　his　neck；　he　plainly　felt　that　this　muscle　strongly　contracted。　He　then　voluntarily　shuddered；　as　he　had　done　on　former　occasions；　but　the　platysma　was　not　then　affected。　　Mr。　J。　Wood　has　also　several　times　observed　this　muscle　contracting　in　patients；　when　stripped　for　examination；　and　who　were　not　frightened；　but　shivered　slightly　from　the　cold。　　Unfortunately　I　have　not　been　able　to　ascertain　whether；　when　the　whole　body　shakes；　as　in　the　cold　stage　of　an　ague　fit；　the　platysma　contracts。　But　as　it　certainly　often　contracts　during　a　shudder；　and　as　a　shudder　or　shiver　often　accompanies　the　first　sensation　of　fear；　we　have；　I　think；　a　clue　to　its　action　in　this　latter　case。＇23＇　Its　contraction；　however；　is　not　an　invariable　concomitant　of　fear；　for　it　probably　never　acts　under　the　influence　of　extreme；　prostrating　terror。


＇23＇　Ducheinne　takes；　in　fact；　this　view　（ibid。　p。　　45）；　as　he　attributes　the　contraction　of　the　platysma　to　the　shivering　of　fear　（_frisson　de　la　peur_）；　but　he　elsewhere　compares　the　action　with　that　which　causes　the　hair　of　frightened　quadrupeds　to　stand　erect；　and　this　can　hardly　be　considered　as　quite　correct。


_Dilatation　of　the　Pupils_。Gratiolet　repeatedly　insists＇24＇　that　the　pupils　are　enormously　dilated　whenever　terror　is　felt。　I　have　no　reason　to　doubt　the　accuracy　of　this　statement；　but　have　failed　to　obtain　confirmatory　evidence；　excepting　in　the　one　instance　before　given　of　an　insane　woman　suffering　from　great　fear。　When　writers　of　fiction　speak　of　the　eyes　being　widely　dilated；　I　presume　that　they　refer　to　the　eyelids。　　Munro's　statement；〃　that　with　parrots　the　iris　is　affected　by　the　passions；　independently　of　the　amount　of　light；　seems　to　bear　on　this　question；　but　Professor　Donders　informs　me；　that　he　has　often　seen　movements　in　the　pupils　of　these　birds　which　he　thinks　may　be　related　to　their　power　of　accommodation　to　distance；　in　nearly　the　same　manner　as　our　own　pupils　contract　when　our　eyes　converge　for　near　vision。　Gratiolet　remarks　that　the　dilated　pupils　appear　as　if　they　were　gazing　into　profound　darkness。　　No　doubt　the　fears　of　man　have　often　been　excited　in　the　dark；　but　hardly　so　often　or　so　exclusively；　as　to　account　for　a　fixed　and　associated　habit　having　thus　arisen。　It　seems　more　probable；　assuming　that　Gratiolet's　statement　is　correct；　that　the　brain　is　directly　affected　by　the　powerful　emotion　of　fear　and　reacts　on　the　pupils；　but　Professor　Donders　informs　me　that　this　is　an　extremely　complicated　subject。　I　may　add；　as　possibly　throwing　light　on　the　subject；　that　Dr。　Fyffe；　of　Netley　Hospital；　has　observed　in　two　patients　that　the　pupils　were　distinctly　dilated　during　the　cold　stage　of　an　ague　fit。　Professor　Donders　has　also　often　seen　dilatation　of　the　pupils　in　incipient　faintness。


＇24＇　‘De　la　Physionomie；'　pp。　　51；　256；　346。

＇25＇　As　quoted　in　White's　‘Gradation　in　Man；'　p。　　57。

_Horror_。The　state　of　mind　expressed　by　this　term　implies　terror；　and　is　in　some；　cases　almost　synonymous　with　it。　　Many　a　man　must　have　felt；　before　the　blessed　discovery　of　chloroform；　great　horror　at　the　thought　of　an　impending　surgical　operation。　He　who　dreads；　as　well　as　hates　a　man；　will　feel；　as　Milton　uses　the　word；　a　horror　of　him。　　We　feel　horror　if　we　see　any　one；　for　instance　a　child；　exposed　to　some　instant　and　crushing　danger。　Almost　every　one　would　experience　the　same　feeling　in　the　highest　degree　in　witnessing　a　man　being　tortured　or　going　to　be　tortured。　In　these　cases　there　is　no　danger　to　ourselves；　but　from　the　power　of　the　imagination　and　of　sympathy　we　put　ourselves　in　the　position　of　the　sufferer；　and　feel　something　akin　to　fear。

Sir　C。　Bell　remarks；＇26＇　that　〃horror　is　full　of　energy；　the　body　is　in　the　utmost　tension；　not　unnerved　by　fear。〃　It　is；　therefore；　probable　that　horror　would　generally　be　accompanied　by　the　strong　contraction　of　the　brows；　but　as　fear　is　one　of　the　elements；　the　eyes　and　mouth　would　be　opened；　and　the　eyebrows　would　be　raised；　as　far　as　the　antagonistic　action　of　the　corrugators　permitted　this　movement。　　Duchenne　has　given　a　photograph＇27＇　（fig。　21）　of　the　same　old　man　as　before；　with　his　eyes　somewhat　staring；　the　eyebrows　partially　raised；　and　at　the　same　time　strongly　contracted；　the　mouth　opened；　and　the　platysma　in　action；　all　effected　by　the　means　of　galvanism。　He　considers　that　the　expression　thus　produced　shows　extreme　terror　with　horrible　pain　or　torture。　　A　tortured　man；　as　long　as　his　sufferings　allowed　him　to　feel　any　dread　for　the　future；　would　probably　exhibit　horror　in　an　extreme　degree。　I　have　shown　the　original　of　this　photograph　to　twenty…three　persons　of　both　sexes　and　various　ages；　and　thirteen　immediately　answered　horror；　great　pain；　torture；　or　agony；　three　answered　extreme　fright；　so　that　sixteen　answered　nearly　in　accordance　with　Duchenne's　belief。　　Six；　however；　said　anger；　guided　no　doubt；　by　the　strongly　contracted　brows；　and　overlooking　the　peculiarly　opened　mouth。　　One　said　disgust。　On　the　whole；　the　evidence　indicates　that　we　have　here　a　fairly　good　representation　of　horror　and　agony。　　The　photograph　before　referred　to　（Pl。　VII。　　fig。　　2）　likewise　exhibits　horror；　but　in　this　the　oblique　eyebrows　indicate　great　mental　distress　in　place　of　energy。


＇26＇　‘Anatomy　of　Expression；'　p。　　169。

＇27＇　‘Mecanisme　de　la　Physionomie；'　Album；　pl。　　65；　pp。　　44；　45。

Horror　is　generally　accompanied　by　various　gestures；　which　differ　in　different　individuals。　　Judging　from　pictures；　the　whole　body　is　often　turned　away　or　shrinks；　or　the