The Expression of Emotion in Man and Animals | Page 5

parler le visage de l'homme,
par les philosophes aussi bien que par les artistes, car, sous une
apparence plus legere et sous le pretexte de l'esthetique, c'est un des
plus beaux monuments de la science des rapports du physique et du
moral."

[4] I always quote from the third edition, 1844, which was published
after the death of Sir C. Bell, and contains his latest corrections. The
first edition of 1806 is much inferior in merit, and does not include
some of his more important views.
[5] `De la Physionomie et de la Parole,' par Albert Lemoine, 1865, p.
101.
From reasons which will presently be assigned, Sir C. Bell did not
attempt to follow out his views as far as they might have been carried.
He does not try to explain why different muscles are brought into
action under different emotions; why, for instance, the inner ends of the
eyebrows are raised, and the corners of the mouth depressed, by a
person suffering from grief or anxiety.
In 1807 M. Moreau edited an edition of Lavater on Physiognomy,[6] in
which he incorporated several of his own essays, containing excellent

descriptions of the movements of the facial muscles, together with
many valuable remarks. He throws, however, very little light on the
philosophy of the subject. For instance, M. Moreau, in speaking of the
act of frowning, that is, of the contraction of the muscle called by
French writers the soucilier (_corrigator supercilii_), remarks with
truth:--"Cette action des sourciliers est un des symptomes les plus
tranches de l'expression des affections penibles ou concentrees." He
then adds that these muscles, from their attachment and position, are
fitted "a resserrer, a concentrer les principaux traits de la face, comme il
convient dans toutes ces passions vraiment oppressives ou profondes,
dans ces affections dont le sentiment semble porter l'organisation a
revenir sur elle-meme, a se contracter et a _s'amoindrir_, comme pour
offrir moins de prise et de surface a des impressions redoutables ou
importunes." He who thinks that remarks of this kind throw any light
on the meaning or origin of the different expressions, takes a very
different view of the subject to what I do.
[6] `L'Art de connaitre les Hommes,' &c., par G. Lavater. The earliest
edition of this work, referred to in the preface to the edition of 1820 in
ten volumes, as containing the observations of M. Moreau, is said to
have been published in 1807; and I have no doubt that this is correct,
because the `Notice sur Lavater' at the commencement of volume i. is
dated April 13, 1806. In some bibliographical works, however, the date
of 1805--1809 is given, but it seems impossible that 1805 can be
correct. Dr. Duchenne remarks (`Mecanisme de la Physionomie
Humaine,'-8vo edit. 1862, p. 5, and `Archives Generales de Medecine,'
Jan. et Fev. 1862) that M. Moreau "a compose pour son ouvrage un
article important," &c., in the year 1805; and I find in volume i. of the
edition of 1820 passages bearing the dates of December 12, 1805, and
another January 5, 1806, besides that of April 13, 1806, above referred
to. In consequence of some of these passages having thus been
COMPOSED in 1805, Dr. Duchenne assigns to M. Moreau the priority
over Sir C. Bell, whose work, as we have seen, was published in 1806.
This is a very unusual manner of determining the priority of scientific
works; but such questions are of extremely little importance in
comparison with their relative merits. The passages above quoted from
M. Moreau and from Le Brun are taken in this and all other cases from
the edition of 1820 of Lavater, tom. iv. p. 228, and tom. ix. p. 279. " In

the above passage there is but a slight, if any, advance in the
philosophy of the subject, beyond that reached by the painter Le Brun,
who, in 1667, in describing the expression of fright, says:--"Le sourcil
qui est abaisse d'un cote et eleve de l'autre, fait voir que la partie elevee
semble le vouloir joindre au cerveau pour le garantir du mal que l'ame
apercoit, et le cote qui est abaisse et qui parait enfle, -nous fait trouver
dans cet etat par les esprits qui viennent du cerveau en abondance,
comme polir couvrir l'aine et la defendre du mal qu'elle craint; la
bouche fort ouverte fait voir le saisissement du coeur, par le sang qui se
retire vers lui, ce qui l'oblige, voulant respirer, a faire un effort qui est
cause que la bouche s'ouvre extremement, et qui, lorsqu'il passe par les
organes de la voix, forme un son qui n'est point articule; que si les
muscles et les veines paraissent enfles, ce n'est que par les esprits que le
cerveau envoie en ces parties-la." I have thought the foregoing
sentences