the expression of emotion in man and animals-第47章

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Dr。　Browne　attributes　the　persistently　rough　condition　of　the　hair　in　many　insane　patients；　in　part　to　their　minds　being　always　somewhat　disturbed；　and　in　part　to　the　effects　of　habit；that　is；　to　the　hair　being　frequently　and　strongly　erected　during　their　many　recurrent　paroxysms。　In　patients　in　whom　the　bristling　of　the　hair　is　extreme；　the　disease　is　generally　permanent　and　mortal；　but　in　others；　in　whom　the　bristling　is　moderate；　as　soon　as　they　recover　their　health　of　mind　the　hair　recovers　its　smoothness。


＇20＇　Quoted　by　Dr。　Maudsley；　‘Body　and　Mind；'　1870；　p。　　41。

In　a　previous　chapter　we　have　seen　that　with　animals　the　hairs　are　erected　by　the　contraction　of　minute；　unstriped；　and　involuntary　muscles；　which　run　to　each　separate　follicle。　　In　addition　to　this　action；　Mr。　J。　Wood　has　clearly　ascertained　by　experiment；　as　he　informs　me；　that　with　man　the　hairs　on　the　front　of　the　head　which　slope　forwards；　and　those　on　the　back　which　slope　backwards；　are　raised　in　opposite　directions　by　the　contraction　of　the　occipito…frontalis　or　scalp　muscle。　So　that　this　muscle　seems　to　aid　in　the　erection　of　the　hairs　on　the　head　of　man。　　in　the　same　manner　as　the　homologous　_panniculus　carnosus_　aids；　or　takes　the　greater　part；　in　the　erection　of　the　spines　on　the　backs　of　some　of　the　lower　animals。


_Contraction　of　the　platysma　myoides　muscle_。This　muscle　is　spread　over　the　sides　of　the　neck；　extending　downwards　to　a　little　beneath　the　collar…bones；　and　upwards　to　the　lower　part　of　the　cheeks。　A　portion；　called　the　risorius；　is　represented　in　the　woodcut　（M）　fig。　　2。　　The　contraction　of　this　muscle　draws　the　corners　of　the　mouth　and　the　lower　parts　of　the　checks　downwards　and　backwards。　It　produces　at　the　same　time　divergent；　longitudinal；　prominent　ridges　on　the　sides　of　the　neck　in　the　young；　and；　in　old　thin　persons；　fine　transverse　wrinkles。　　This　muscle　is　sometimes　said　not　to　be　under　the　control　of　the　will；　but　almost　every　one；　if　told　to　draw　the　corners　of　his　mouth　backwards　and　downwards　with　great　force；　brings　it　into　action。　　I　have；　however；　heard　of　a　man　who　can　voluntarily　act　on　it　only　on　one　side　of　his　neck。

Sir　C。　Bell＇21＇　and　others　have　stated　that　this　muscle　is　strongly　contracted　under　the　influence　of　fear；　and　Duchenne　insists　so　strongly　on　its　importance　in　the　expression　of　this　emotion；　that　he　calls　it　the　_muscle　of　fright_。＇22＇　He　admits；　however；　that　its　contraction　is　quite　inexpressive　unless　associated　with　widely　open　eyes　and　mouth。　He　has　given　a　photograph　（copied　and　reduced　in　the　accompanying　woodcut）　of　the　same　old　man　as　on　former　occasions；　with　his　eyebrows　strongly　raised；　his　mouth　opened；　and　the　platysma　contracted；　all　by　means　of　galvanism。　The　original　photograph　was　shown　to　twenty…four　persons；　and　they　were　separately　asked；　without　any　explanation　being　given；　what　expression　was　intended：　　twenty　instantly　answered；　〃intense　fright〃　or　〃horror；〃　three　said　pain；　and　one　extreme　discomfort。　　Dr。　Duchenne　has　given　another　photograph　of　the　same　old　man；　with　the　platysma　contracted；　the　eyes　and　mouth　opened；　and　the　eyebrows　rendered　oblique；　by　means　of　galvanism。　　The　expression　thus　induced　is　very　striking　（see　Plate　VII。　　fig。　　2）；　the　obliquity　of　the　eyebrows　adding　the　appearance　of　great　mental　distress。　　The　original　was　shown　to　fifteen　persons；　twelve　answered　terror　or　horror；　and　three　agony　or　great　suffering。　From　these　cases；　and　from　an　examination　of　the　other　photographs　given　by　Dr。　Duchenne；　together　with　his　remarks　thereon；　I　think　there　can　be　little　doubt　that　the　contraction　of　the　platysma　does　add　greatly　to　the　expression　of　fear。　　Nevertheless　this　muscle　ought　hardly　to　be　called　that　of　fright；　for　its　contraction　is　certainly　not　a　necessary　concomitant　of　this　state　of　mind。


＇21＇　‘Anatomy　of　Expression；'　p。　　168。

＇22＇　Mecanisme　de　la　Phys。　　Humaine；　Album；　Legende　xi。　　A　man　may　exhibit　extreme　terror　in　the　plainest　manner　by　death…like　pallor；　by　drops　of　perspiration　on　his　skin；　and　by　utter　prostration；　with　all　the　muscles　of　his　body；　including　the　platysma；　completely　relaxed。　　Although　Dr。　Browne　has　often　seen　this　muscle　quivering　and　contracting　in　the　insane；　he　has　not　been　able　to　connect　its　action　with　any　emotional　condition　in　them；　though　he　carefully　attended　to　patients　suffering　from　great　fear。　Mr。　Nicol；　on　the　other　hand；　has　observed　three　cases　in　which　this　muscle　appeared　to　be　more　or　less　permanently　contracted　under　the　influence　of　melancholia；　associated　with　much　dread；　but　in　one　of　these　cases；　various　other　muscles　about　the　neck　and　head　were　subject　to　spasmodic　contractions。

Dr。　W。　Ogle　observed　for　me　in　one　of　the　London　hospitals　about　twenty　patients；　just　before　they　were　put　under　the　influence　of　chloroform　for　operations。　　They　exhibited　some　trepidation；　but　no　great　terror。　In　only　four　of　the　cases　was　the　platysma　visibly　contracted；　and　it　did　not　begin　to　contract　until　the　patients　began　to　cry。　The　muscle　seemed　to　contract　at　the　moment　of　each　deep…drawn　inspiration；　so　that　it　is　very　doubtful　whether　the　contraction　depended　at　all　on　the　emotion　of　fear。　　In　a　fifth　case；　the　patient；　who　was　not　chloroformed；　was　much　terrified；　and　his　platysma　was　more　forcibly　and　persistently　contracted　than　in　the　other　cases。　But　even　here　there　is　room　for　doubt；　for　the　muscle　which　appeared　to　be　unusually　developed；　was　seen　by　Dr。　Ogle　to　contract　as　the　man　moved　his　head　from　the　pillow；　after　the　operation　was　over。

As　I　felt　much　perplexed　why；　in　any　case；　a　superficial　muscle　on　the　neck　should　be　especially　affected　by　fear；　I　applied　to　my　many　obliging　correspondents　for　information　about　the　contraction　of　this　muscle　under　other　circumstances。　It　would　be　superfluous　to　give　all　the　answers　which　I　have　received。　They　show　that　this　muscle　acts；　often　in　a　variable　manner　and　degree；　under　many　different　conditions。　　It　is　violently　contracted　in　hydrophobia；　and　in　a　somewhat　less　degree　in　lockjaw；　sometimes　in　a　marked　manner　during　the　insensibility　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　ex