criminal psychology-第35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！


creases。　In　this　way　short　oblique；　and　short　perpendicular　furrows　are　made。　Now　this；　few　people　can　do　without　practice；　many　can　never　perform　it　voluntarily；　and　it　is　more　frequent　among　women　and　children　than　among　men。　It　is　important　to　note　that　it　is　always　a　sign　of　spiritual　pain；　not　physical。　And　curiously　enough　it　is　as　a　rule　related　with　drawing　down　the　corners　of　the　mouth。

Further　to　study　the　movements　of　the　features　will　require　an　examination　into　the　reasons　for　the　action　of　these；　and　not　other　muscles；　as　accompaniments　of　the　psychical　states。　Piderit　holds　it　is　due　to　the　fact　that　the　motor　nerves　which　supply　these　muscles　rise　right　next　to　the　purely　psychical　centers　and　hence　these　muscles　are　the　supports　of　the　organs　of　sense。　The　latter　is　no　doubt　correct；　but　the　first　statement　is　rather　doubtful。　In　any　event　it　is　evident　that　the　features　contain　an　exceptionally　large　number　　of　fine　muscles　with　especially　rich　motor　capacity；　and　hence　move　together　and　in　accordance　with　the　psychical　conditions。　It　may　be　that　the　other　muscles　of　the　body　have　also　a　share　in　this　but　that　we　fail　to　perceive　the　fact。　Such　movements；　however；　have　not　been　essential。

We　may　take　it　as　a　general　rule　that　all　joyous　and　uplifting　emotions　（even　astonishment）　are　succeeded　by　the　raising　of　the　skin　of　the　forehead；　the　nostrils；　the　eyes；　the　eyelids；　while　sad　and　oppressing　emotions　have　the　contrary　effect。　This　simple　and　easy　rule　renders　immediately　intelligible　many　an　otherwise　obscure　expression　which　we　find　important　but　concerning　the　meaning　of　which　we　are　in　doubt。　The　development　of　a　movement　in　any　face　goes；　according　to　Harless；＇1＇　in　this　fashion：　‘‘The　superior　motor　nerve　is　the　oculomotorius。　The　stimulation　reaches　this　one　firstthe　mildest　alteration　of　emotion　betrays　itself　most　rapidly　in　the　look；　the　movement　and　condition　of　the　pupil　of　the　eye。　If　the　impulse　is　stronger　it　strikes　the　roots　of　the　motor　end　of　the　trigeminus　and　the　movement　of　the　muscles　of　mastication　occur；　then　the　intensified　affection　spreads　through　the　other　features。''　Nobody　will；　of　course；　assert　that　even　a　completely　developed　physiognomical　science　will　help　us　over　all　our　difficulties；　but　with　a　little　attention　it　can　help　us　to　a　considerable　degree。　This　help　we　do　need；　as　La　Rochefoucauld　points　out；　with　even　contemporary　correctness；　‘‘It　is　easier　to　know　men　than　to　know　a　particular　man。''


Section　21。　（8）　_The　Hand_。


The　physiognomy　of　the　hand　stands　close　to　that　of　the　face　in　significance　and　is　in　some　relations　of　even　greater　importance；　because　the　expression　of　the　hand　permits　of　no；　or　very　slight；　simulation。　A　hand　may　be　rendered　finer　or　coarser；　may　be　rendered　light　or　dark；　the　nails　may　be　cared　for　or　allowed　to　develop　into　claws。　The　appearance　of　the　hand　may　be　altered；　but　not　its　physiognomy　or　character。　Whoever　creases　his　face　in　the　same　way　for　a　thousand　times　finally　retains　the　creases　and　receives　from　them　a　determinate　expression　even　if　this　does　not　reveal　his　inner　state；　but　whoever　does　the　same　thing　a　thousand　times　with　his　hand　does　not　thereby　impress　on　it　a　means　of　identification。　The　frequent　Tartuffian　rolling　of　the　eyes　finally　gives　the　face　a　pious　or　at　least　pietistic　expression；　but　fold　your　hands　in

＇1＇　Wagner's　Handwrterbuch；　III；　i。

　daily　prayer　for　years　and　nobody　would　discover　it　from　them。　It　seems；　however；　of　little　use　to　know　that　human　hands　can　not　be　disguised；　if　they　are　little　or　not　at　all　differentiated；　but　as　it　happens　they　are；　next　to　the　face；　the　most　extremely　and　profoundly　differentiated　of　human　organs；　and　a　general　law　teaches　us　that　different　effects　are　produced　by　different　causes；　and　that　from　the　former　the　latter　may　be　inferred。　If　then　we　observe　the　infinite　variety　of　the　human　hand　we　have　to　infer　an　equally　infinite　variety　of　influences；　and　inasmuch　as　we　cannot　trace　these　influences　any　further　we　must　conclude　that　they　are　to　be　explained　causally　by　the　infinite　variety　of　psychical　states。

Whoever　studies　the　hand　psychologically　gains　in　the　course　of　time　a　great　deal　of　faith　in　what　the　hand　tells　him。　And　finally　he　doubts　it　only　when　chirognomy　conflicts　with　physiognomy。　If　in　such　cases　it　is　observed　that　the　hand　is　more　likely　to　be　correct　than　the　face；　and　that　inferences　from　the　hand　more　rarely　show　themselves　to　be　false；　one　is　reminded　of　the　dictum　of　Aristotle；　‘‘The　hand　is　the　organ　of　organs；　the　instrument　of　instruments　in　the　human　body。''　If　this　is　correct；　the　favored　instrument　must　be　in　the　closest　kind　of　relation　with　the　psyche　of　the　owner；　but　if　this　relation　exists　there　must　be　an　interaction　also。　If　the　hand　contained　merely　its　physical　structure；　Newton　would　never　have　said；　‘‘Other　evidence　lacking；　the　thumb　would　convince　me　of　God's　existence。''

How　far　one　ought　to　establish　fundamental　propositions　in　this　matter；　I　can　not　easily　say。　Perhaps　it　would　be　scientifically　most　correct　to　be　satisfied　for　the　time　with　collecting　the　carefully　and　keenly　observed　material　and　getting　the　anatomists；　who　are　already　in　need　of　material　for　professional　investigations；　to　take　the　matter　up；　in　collecting　photographs　of　hands　belonging　to　persons　whose　characters　are　well　known　and　in　getting　a　sufficient　number　of　properly　equipped　persons　to　make　the　collection。　If　we　had　enough　material　to　draw　fundamental　principles　from；　much　that　has　been　asserted　by　Bell；　Carus；　D'Arpentigny；　Allen；　Gessmann；　Liersch；　Landsberg；＇1＇　etc。；　might　be　proved　and　tested。　But　their　statements

＇1＇　C。　Bell：　The　Human　Hand。　London　1865。　　K。　G。　Carus：　ber　Grund　u。　Bedeutung　der　verschiedenen　Hand。　Stuttgart　1864。　　D'Arpentigny：　La　Chirognomie。　Paris　1843。　　Allen。　Manual　of　Cheirosophy。　London　1885。　　Gessman：　Die　Mnnerhand；　Die　Frauenhand；　Die　Kinderhand。　Berlin　1892；　1893；　1894。　　Liersch。　Die　linke　Hand。　Berlin　1893。　　J。　Landsberg：　Die　Wahrsagekunst　aus　der　Menschlichen　Gestalt。　Berlin　1895。

　are　still　subject　to　contradiction　because　their　fundamental　principles　are　not　sufficient　for　the　development　of　a　system。　Probably　nobody　will　doubt　some　of　the　more　common　statements；　all　will　grant　with　Winkelmann　that　a　beautiful　hand　is　in　keeping　with　a　beautiful　soul；　or　with　Balzac　that　people　of　considerable　intellect　have　handsome　hands；　or　in　calling　the　hand　man's　second　face。　But　when　specific　co…ordinations　of　the　hand　are　made　these　meet　with　much　doubt。　So　for　example；　Esser＇1＇　calls　the　_elementary_　hand　essentially　a　work　hand；　the　_motor_　essentially　a　masculine　hand；　having　less　soul　and　refinement　of　character　than　will　and　purposefulness。　So　again　the　_sensitive_　hand　implies　generally　a　sanguine　character；　and　the　_psychic_　hand　presents　itself　as　the　possession　of　beautiful　souls　and　noble　spirits。

However　true　this　classification　may　be；　the　establishment　and　description　of　the　various　significatory　signs　is　very　difficult；　especially　because　the　forms　named　rarely　appear　in　clear　and　sharply　defined　subdivisions。　The　boundaries　are　fluid；　like　the　characters　themselves；　and　where　the　properties　of　one　group　pass　almost　directly　into　the　other；　both　description　and　recognition　are　difficult。　If；　then；　we　can　not　depend　upon　a　systematic；　and　at　present　remote　treatment；　we　still　may　depend　on　well…founded　observations　which　appear　as　reliable　presuppositions　in　the　light　of　their　frequent　repetition。

Not　essentially　psychological　but　of　importance　for　the　criminalist　are　the　inferences　we　may　draw　from　Herbert　Spencer's　assertion　that　people　whose　ancestors　have　worked　with　their　hands　possess　heavy　hands。　Conversely；　people　whose　ancestors　have　not　worked　hard　with　their　hands　possess　small　and　fine　hands。　Hence　the　small　delicate　hands　of　Jews；　the　frequent　perfection　of　form　and　invariable　smallness　of　the　hands　of　Gypsies；　who　have　inherited　their　hands　from　high…cast　Hindoos；　and　the　so…called　racial　hands　of　real　aristocrats。　That　hard　work；　even　tumbling；　piano　playing；　etc。；　should　alter　the　form　of　a　hand　is　self…evident；　since　mu