the expression of emotion in man and animals-第35节

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ly　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　asked　her　to　act　on　her　grief…muscles；　another　girl　who　was　present；　and　who　could　do　so　voluntarily；　showing　her　what　was　intended。　She　tried　repeatedly；　but　utterly　failed；　yet　so　slight　a　cause　of　distress　as　not　being　able　to　talk　quickly　enough；　sufficed　to　bring　these　muscles　over　and　over　again　into　energetic　action。

The　expression　of　grief；　due　to　the　contraction　of　the　grief…muscles；　is　by　no　means　confined　to　Europeans；　but　appears　to　be　common　to　all　the　races　of　mankind。　　I　have；　at　least；　received　trustworthy　accounts　in　regard　to　Hindoos；　Dhangars　（one　of　the　aboriginal　hill…tribes　of　India；　and　therefore　belonging　to　a　quite　distinct　race　from　the　Hindoos）；　Malays；　Negroes　and　Australians。　　With　respect　to　the　latter；　two　observers　answer　my　query　in　the　affirmative；　but　enter　into　no　details。　Mr。　Taplin；　however；　appends　to　my　descriptive　remarks　the　words　〃this　is　exact。〃　　With　respect　to　negroes；　the　lady　who　told　me　of　Fra　Angelico's　picture；　saw　a　negro　towing　a　boat　on　the　Nile；　and　as　he　encountered　an　obstruction；　she　observed　his　grief…muscles　in　strong　action；　with　the　middle　of　the　forehead　well　wrinkled。　Mr。　Geach　watched　a　Malay　man　in　Malacca；　with　the　corners　of　his　mouth　much　depressed；　the　eyebrows　oblique；　with　deep　short　grooves　on　the　forehead。　　This　expression　lasted　for　a　very　short　time；　and　Mr。　Geach　remarks　it　〃was　a　strange　one；　very　much　like　a　person　about　to　cry　at　some　great　loss。〃

In　India　Mr。　H。　Erskine　found　that　the　natives　were　familiar　with　this　expression；　and　Mr。　J。　Scott；　of　the　Botanic　Gardens；　Calcutta；　has　obligingly　sent　me　a　full　description　of　two　cases。　He　observed　during　some　time；　himself　unseen；　a　very　young　Dhangar　woman　from　Nagpore；　the　wife　of　one　of　the　gardeners；　nursing　her　baby　who　was　at　the　point　of　death；　and　he　distinctly　saw　the　eyebrows　raised　at　the　inner　corners；　the　eyelids　drooping；　the　forehead　wrinkled　in　the　middle；　the　mouth　slightly　open；　with　the　corners　much　depressed。　　He　then　came　from　behind　a　screen　of　plants　and　spoke　to　the　poor　woman；　who　started；　burst　into　a　bitter　flood　of　tears；　and　besought　him　to　cure　her　baby。　The　second　case　was　that　of　a　Hindustani　man；　who　from　illness　and　poverty　was　compelled　to　sell　his　favourite　goat。　After　receiving　the　money；　he　repeatedly　looked　at　the　money　in　his　hand　and　then　at　the　goat；　as　if　doubting　whether　he　would　not　return　it。　　He　went　to　the　goat；　which　was　tied　up　ready　to　be　led　away；　and　the　animal　reared　up　and　licked　his　hands。　His　eyes　then　wavered　from　side　to　side；　his　〃mouth　was　partially　closed；　with　the　corners　very　decidedly　depressed。〃　At　last　the　poor　man　seemed　to　make　up　his　mind　that　he　must　part　with　his　goat；　and　then；　as　Mr。　Scott　saw；　the　eyebrows　became　slightly　oblique；　with　the　characteristic　puckering　or　swelling　at　the　inner　ends；　but　the　wrinkles　on　the　forehead　were　not　present。　The　man　stood　thus　for　a　minute；　then　heaving　a　deep　sigh；　burst　into　tears；　raised　up　his　two　hands；　blessed　the　goat；　turned　round；　and　without　looking　again；　went　away。