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.
Pages:
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440