The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals Part 17

"Many years after his death, his son married a lady who had never heard of the family incident. She, however, observed precisely the same peculiarity in her husband; but his nose, from not being particularly prominent, has never as yet suffered from the blows. The trick does not occur when he is half-asleep, as, for example, when dozing in his arm-chair, but the moment he is fast asleep it is apt to begin. It is, as with his father, intermittent; sometimes ceasing for many nights, and sometimes almost incessant during a part of every night. It is performed, as it was by his father, with his right hand.

"One of his children, a girl, has inherited the same trick. She performs it, likewise, with the right hand, but in a slightly modified form; for, after raising the arm, she does not allow the wrist to drop upon the bridge of the nose, but the palm of the half-closed hand falls over and down the nose, striking it rather rapidly. It is also very intermittent with this child, not occurring for periods of some months, but sometimes occurring almost incessantly."]

[Footnote 109: Prof. Huxley remarks ('Elementary Physiology,' 5th edit.

p. 305) that reflex actions proper to the spinal cord are NATURAL; but, by the help of the brain, that is through habit, an infinity of ARTIFICIAL reflex actions may be acquired. Virchow admits ('Sammlung wissenschaft. Vortrage,' &c., "Ueber das Ruckeninark," 1871, ss. 24, 31) that some reflex actions can hardly be distinguished from instincts; and, of the latter, it may be added, some cannot be distinguished from inherited habits.]

[Footnote 110: Dr. Maudsley, 'Body and Mind,' 1870, p. 8.]

[Footnote 111: See the very interesting discussion on the whole subject by Claude Bernard, 'Tissus Vivants,' 1866, p. 353-356.]

[Footnote 112: 'Chapters on Mental Physiology,' 1858, p. 85.]

[Footnote 113: Muller remarks ('Elements of Physiology,' Eng. tr. vol.

ii. p. 1311) on starting being always accompanied by the closure of the eyelids.]

[Footnote 114: Dr. Maudsley remarks ('Body and Mind,' p. 10) that "reflex movements which commonly effect a useful end may, under the changed circ.u.mstances of disease, do great mischief, becoming even the occasion of violent suffering and of a most painful death."]

[Footnote 115: See Mr. F. H. Salvin's account of a tame jackal in 'Land and Water,' October, 1869.]

[Footnote 116: "Dr. Darwin, 'Zoonomia,' 1794, vol. i. p. 160. I find that the fact of cats protruding their feet when pleased is also noticed (p.

151) in this work.]

[Footnote 117: Carpenter, 'Principles of Comparative Physiology,' 1854, p. 690, and Muller's 'Elements of Physiology,' Eng. translat. vol. ii.

p. 936.]

[Footnote 118: Mowbray on 'Poultry,' 6th edit. 1830, p. 54.]

[Footnote 119: See the account given by this excellent observer in 'Wild Sports of the Highlands,' 1846, p. 142.]

[Footnote 120: 'Philosophical Translations,' 1823, p. 182.]

[Footnote 201: 'Naturgeschichte der Saugethiere von Paraguay,' 1830, s.

55.]

[Footnote 202: Mr. Tylor gives an account of the Cistercian gesture-language in his 'Early History of Mankind' (2nd edit. 1870, p.

40), and makes some remarks on the principle of opposition in gestures.]

[Footnote 203: See on this subject Dr. W. R. Scott's interesting work, 'The Deaf and Dumb,' 2nd edit. 1870, p. 12. He says, "This contracting of natural gestures into much shorter gestures than the natural expression requires, is very common amongst the deaf and dumb. This contracted gesture is frequently so shortened as nearly to lose all semblance of the natural one, but to the deaf and dumb who use it, it still has the force of the original expression."]

[Footnote 301: See the interesting cases collected by M. G. Pouchet in the 'Revue des Deux Mondes,' January 1, 1872, p. 79. An instance was also brought some years ago before the British a.s.sociation at Belfast.]

[Footnote 302: Muller remarks ('Elements of Physiology,' Eng. translat.

vol. ii. p. 934) that when the feelings are very intense, "all the spinal nerves become affected to the extent of imperfect paralysis, or the excitement of trembling of the whole body."]

[Footnote 303: 'Lecons sur les Prop. des Tissus Vivants,' 1866, pp.

457-466.]

[Footnote 304: Mr. Bartlett, "Notes on the Birth of a Hippopotamus,"

Proc. Zoolog. Soc. 1871, p. 255.]

[Footnote 305: See, on this subject, Claude Bernard, 'Tissus Vivants,'

1866, pp. 316, 337, 358. Virchow expresses himself to almost exactly the same effect in his essay "Ueber das Ruckenmark" (Sammlung wissenschaft.

Vortrage, 1871, s. 28).]

[Footnote 306: Muller ('Elements of Physiology,' Eng. translat. vol. ii.

p. 932) in speaking of the nerves, says, "any sudden change of condition of whatever kind sets the nervous principle into action." See Virchow and Bernard on the same subject in pa.s.sages in the two works referred to in my last foot-note.]

[Footnote 307: H. Spencer, 'Essays, Scientific, Political,' &c., Second Series, 1863, pp. 109, 111.]

[Footnote 308: Sir H. Holland, in speaking ('Medical Notes and Reflexions,' 1839, p. 328) of that curious state of body called the _fidgets_, remarks that it seems due to "an acc.u.mulation of some cause of irritation which requires muscular action for its relief."]

[Footnote 309: I am much indebted to Mr. A. H. Garrod for having informed me of M. Lorain's work on the pulse, in which a sphygmogram of a woman in a rage is given; and this shows much difference in the rate and other characters from that of the same woman in her ordinary state.]

[Footnote 310: How powerfully intense joy excites the brain, and how the brain reacts on the body, is well shown in the rare cases of Psychical Intoxication. Dr. J. Crichton Browne ('Medical Mirror,' 1865) records the case of a young man of strongly nervous temperament, who, on hearing by a telegram that a fortune had been bequeathed him, first became pale, then exhilarated, and soon in the highest spirits, but flushed and very restless. He then took a walk with a friend for the sake of tranquillising himself, but returned staggering in his gait, uproariously laughing, yet irritable in temper, incessantly talking, and singing loudly in the public streets. It was positively ascertained that he had not touched any spirituous liquor, though every one thought that he was intoxicated. Vomiting after a time came on, and the half-digested contents of his stomach were examined, but no odour of alcohol could be detected. He then slept heavily, and on awaking was well, except that he suffered from headache, nausea, and prostration of strength.]

[Footnote 311: Dr. Darwin, 'Zoonomia,' 1794, vol. i. p. 148.]

[Footnote 312: Mrs. Oliphant, in her novel of 'Miss Majoribanks,' p.

362. All this reacts on the brain, and prostration soon follows with collapsed muscles and dulled eyes. As a.s.sociated habit no longer prompts the sufferer to action, he is urged by his friends to voluntary exertion, and not to give way to silent, motionless grief. Exertion stimulates the heart, and this reacts on the brain, and aids the mind to bear its heavy load.]

[Footnote 401: See the evidence on this head in my 'Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication,' vol. i. p. 27. On the cooing of pigeons, vol. i. pp. 154, 155.]

[Footnote 402: 'Essays, Scientific, Political, and Speculative,' 1858.

'The Origin and Function of Music,' p. 359.]

[Footnote 403: 'The Descent of Man,' 1870, vol. ii. p. 332. The words quoted are from Professor Owen. It has lately been shown that some quadrupeds much lower in the scale than monkeys, namely Rodents, are able to produce correct musical tones: see the account of a singing Hesperomys, by the Rev. S. Lockwood, in the 'American Naturalist,' vol.

v. December, 1871, p. 761.]

[Footnote 404: Mr. Tylor ('Primitive Culture,' 1871, vol. i. p. 166), in his discussion on this subject, alludes to the whining of the dog.]

[Footnote 405: 'Naturgeschichte der Saugethiere von Paraguay,' 1830, s.

46.]

[Footnote 406: Quoted by Gratiolet, 'De la Physionomie,' 1865, p. 115.]

[Footnote 407: 'Theorie Physiologique de la Musique,' Paris, 1868, P. 146. Helmholtz has also fully discussed in this profound work the relation of the form of the cavity of the mouth to the production of vowel-sounds.]

[Footnote 408: I have given some details on this subject in my 'Descent of Man,' vol. i. pp. 352, 384.]

[Footnote 409: As quoted in Huxley's 'Evidence as to Man's Place in Nature,' 1863, p. 52.]

[Footnote 410: Ill.u.s.t. Thierleben, 1864, B. i. s. 130.]

[Footnote 411: The Hon. J. Caton, Ottawa Acad. of Nat. Sciences, May, 1868, pp. 36, 40. For the _Capra, AEgagrus_, 'Land and Water,' 1867, p.

37.]

[Footnote 412: 'Land and Water,' July 20, 1867, p. 659.]