Dr. W. Ogle observed two male patients, suffering from such
difficulty in breathing, that the trachea had to be opened,
and in both the platysma was strongly contracted. One of these men
overheard the conversation of the surgeons surrounding him, and when
he was able to speak, declared that he had not been frightened.
In some other cases of extreme difficulty of respiration, though not
requiring tracheotomy, observed by Drs. Ogle and Langstaff,
the platysma was not contracted.
Mr. J. Wood, who has studied with such care the muscles of the human body,
as shown by his various publications, has often seen the platysma
contracted in vomiting, nausea, and disgust; also in children and
adults under the influence of rage,--for instance, in Irishwomen,
quarrelling and brawling together with angry gesticulations.
This may possibly have been due to their high and angry tones;
for I know a lady, an excellent musician, who, in singing certain
high notes, always contracts her platysma. So does a young man,
as I have observed, in sounding certain notes on the flute.
Mr. J. Wood informs me that he has found the platysma best
developed in persons with thick necks and broad shoulders;
and that in families inheriting these peculiarities, its development
is usually associated with much voluntary power over the homologous
occipito-frontalis muscle, by which the scalp can be moved.
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