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Show 152 EXPRESSIO~ OF St1FFERING : CltAP. VL fur 901ne time afterwards, I often ob~ervecl that the ~rst Hign of a screa1ning-fit, when it could be ~bserved coiningon gradually,. was a little frown, ow1ng to th? co.ntraction of the corruO'ator::s of the bro"vs; the cap1llanes ' b . of the naked head and face becoming at the same tune reddened with blood. As soon as the screaming-fit actually began, all the muscles round the eyes were strongly contracted, and the 1nouth wicl~ly opened. in the manner above described; so that at tlns carl y pertod the features assumed the same form as at a 1nore advanced age. . , l)r. Piderit 6 lays great stress on the contraet10n of certain muscles which draw down the nose and narrow the nostrils, as eminently characteristic of a crying expression. The depressores anguli oris, as ~e havo jnst seen, are usually contracted at the same tnne, and they indirectly tend, according to Dr. Duchenne, to act in this same 1nanner on the nose. With children having bttd colds a si1nilar pinched appearance of tho uose n1ay be noticed, which is at least partly due, aK remarked to me by Dr. Langstaff, to their constant snuffling, and the consequent pressure of the atmosphere on the two sides. The purpose of this contraction of the nostrils by children having bad colds, or whilHt crying, seem~ to be to check the down ward flow of the mucus and tears, and to prevent these fluids spreading over the upper lip. After a prolonged and severe screaming-fit, the seal p, face, and eyes are reddened, owing to the return of tho blood from the head having been impeded by the violent expiratory efforts ; but the redness of the stimulated eyes is chiefly due to the copious effusion of tears. r_rhe G 'l\Iimilt unu Physiognomik,' 1867, s. 102. Duchenne, l\{ccanisme do la Phys. Humaine, Album, p. 31. I CHAP. VI. WEEPlN<i. 153 various n1uscles of the face wl1i .. ~h have been strongly contracted, stHl twitch a little, and the upper lip is still slightly drawn up or everted, 7 with the eorners of the month still a little drawn downwards. I have tnyself felt, and have observed in other grown-up persons, that when tears are restrained with difficulty, as in reading a pathetic story, it is almost impossible to prevent the various 1nuscles, which with young children arc brought into strong action during their screaming-fits, from slightly twitching or trembling. Infants whilst young do not shed tears or weep, us is well known to nurses and medical men. This circum~:~ tance is not exclusively due to the Jacrymal glands being as yet incapable of secreting tears. I first noticed this fact from having accidentally brushed with the cuff of my coat the open eye of one of 1ny infants, when seventy-seven days olcl, causing this eye to water freely; and though the child screamed viol on tly, the other eye remained dry, or was only slightly suffused with tears. A sitnilar slio·ht effusion occurred ten 0 <lays previously in both eyes during a screaming-fit. ~rhe tears did not run over the eyelids and roll down the cheeks of this child, whnst screaming badly, when 122 days old. This first happened 17 days later, at the age of 139 days. A few other children have been observed for me, and the period of free weeping appears to be v ry variable. In one cas , the eyes hecamc slightly suffused at the age of only 20 days; in another, at 62 days. \Vith two other children, the tears did not run down the face at the ages of 8! and 110 days; bnt in a third child they did run rlown at the ng of 104 dAys. In one instance, as I was positiv ly assured, tears ran down at the unusually early age of 7 Dr. Duchenne makes this remark, ibid. p. 3a. |
