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Show 14 INTRODUCTION. of an immense asylum near Wakefield, and who, as I found, had already attended to the subject. 'J:his excellent observer has with unwearied kindness sent 1ne copious notes and descriptions, with valuable suggestions on many points; and I can hardly over-estimate the value of his assistance. I owe also, to the kindne.ss of Mr. Patrick Nicol, of the Sussex Lunatic Asylum, interesting statements on two or three points. Thirdly, Dr. Duchenne galvanized, as we have already seen, certain muscles in the face of an old man, whose skin was little sensitive, and thusl_produced various expressions which were photographed on a large scale. It fortunately occurred to me to show several of the best plates, without a ·word of explanation, to above twenty educated persons of various ages and both sexes, asking them, in each case, by what emotion or feeling the old man was supposed to be agitated; and I recorded their answers in the words which they used. Several of the expressions were instantly recognised by almost everyone, though described in not exactly the same terms; and these may, I think, be relied on as truthful, and will hereafter be ~pecified. On the other hand, the most widely different Judgments were pronounced in regard to some of them. This exhibition was of use in another way, by convincing ~e how easily we may be misguided by our imagination; for when I first looked through Dr. Duchenne's photograp~s, reading at the same time the text, and thus learning what was intended I was struck with admir~tion at the truthfulness of' all, with only a few exceptions. Nevertheless, if I had examined them without any explanation, no doubt I should have been as much perflexed, in some cases, as other persons have been. ] ourthly, I had hoped to derive much aid fron1 the great masters in painting and sculpture, who are such INTRODUCTION. 15 close observers. Accordingly, I have looked at photographs and engravings of many well-known works; but, with a few exceptions, have not thus profited. The reason no doubt is, that in works of art, beauty is the ehief object; and strongly contracted facial muscles destroy; beauty.19 ~rhe story of the composition is generally told with wonderful force and t~·uth by skilfully given accessories. ~.,ifthly, it seemed to me highly in1portant to ascertain whether the same expressions and gestures prevail, as bas often been asserted without much evidence, with all the races of mankind, especially with those who have associated but little with Europeans. vVhenever the same movements of the features or body express the same emotions in several distinct races of man, we may infer with much probability, that such expressions are true ones,-that is, are innate or instinctive. Conventional expressions or gestures, acquired by the individual during early life, would probably have differed in the different races, in the same manner as do . their languages. Accordingly I ci1·culated, early in the year 1867, the following printed queries with a request, which bas been fully responded to, that actual observations, and not memory, might be trusted. These queries were written after a considerable interval of ..time, during which my attention had been otherwise directed, and I can now see that they might have been greatly improved. To some of the later copies, I appended, in manuscript, a few additional remarks:- (l.) Is astonishment expressed by the eyes and mouth being openc<l wide, and by the eyebrows being raised ? (2.) Does shame excite a blush when the colour of the skin allows it to be visible? and especially how low down the body docs the blush extend? 19 See remarks to this effect in Lessing's 'Laocoon,' translated by W. Ross, 1836, p. 19. |