第 35 节
作者:
忙 更新:2021-02-27 02:14 字数:9322
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。