Physical Expression; Its Modes and Principles

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1885 Excerpt: ...over-muscular action in the upper zone, causing in the middle of the forehead transverse and vertical furrows, an appearance commonly resulting from the condition of brain associated with grief. For a long time I was deceived by this face, and thought the boy depressed, but later, on cross-questioning him, and inquiring of his mother, he appeared not only unconscious of these movements but not to feel any mental distress. I was therefore compelled to regard the facial movements, which were suggestive of the expression of distress, as analogous to those of the fingers, which more resembled athetosis than any other phase of involuntary movement. The movements of the fingers were slow, involuntary, and unconscious; no child in chorea puts up his hand to straighten out the fingers which have curled up on the other hand. There were no general twitching movements, and those that did exist were not twitching in character. These points appear to indicate an analogy to athetosis, rather than to chorea, both in the hand and in the face. Throughout the mechanism of the human body the muscles are arranged in groups, acting antagonistically to one another. In the limbs flexors oppose the extensors, pronators oppose the supinators, etc.; likewise in the face the muscles, which contract the openings oppose the muscles which dilate them. These opposing groups of muscles may be energized by nerve-currents, either separately or together, or more commonly they are stimulated to contract in unequal degree, and so the muscles which are stronger, or the most stimulated, produce the actual movement. If the flexors are the most stimulated, CONFLICT OF EXPRESSIONS IN THE FACE. 213 flexion results. If strong and unequal nervecurrents are sent to the opposing muscles, a quivering or ...