1-3, Plate III., different degrees of moderate laughter and smiling
have been photographed. The figure of the little girl, with the hat is
by Dr. Wallich, and the expression was a genuine one; the other two are
by Mr. Rejlander. Dr. Duchenne repeatedly insists[809] that, under the
emotion of joy, the mouth is acted on exclusively by the great
zygomatic muscles, which serve to draw the corners backwards and
upwards; but judging from the manner in which the upper teeth are
always exposed during laughter and broad smiling, as well as from my
own sensations, I cannot doubt that some of the muscles running to the
upper lip are likewise brought into moderate action. The upper and
lower orbicular muscles of the eyes are at the same time more or less
contracted; and there is an intimate connection, as explained in the
chapter on weeping, between the orbiculars, especially the lower ones
and some of the muscles running to the upper lip. Henle remarks[810] on
this head, that when a man closely shuts one eye he cannot avoid
retracting the upper lip on the same side; conversely, if any one will
place his finger on his lower eyelid, and then uncover his upper
incisors as much as possible, he will feel, as his upper lip is drawn
strongly upwards, that the muscles of the lower eyelid contract. In
Henle s drawing, given in woodcut, fig. 2, the _musculus malaris_ (H)
which runs to the upper lip may be seen to form an almost integral part
of the lower orbicular muscle.
Dr. Duchenne has given a large photograph of an old man (reduced on
Plate III. fig 4), in his usual passive condition, and another of the
same man (fig. 5), naturally smiling. The latter was instantly
recognized by every one to whom it was shown as true to nature. He has
also given, as an example of an unnatural or false smile, another
photograph (fig. 6) of the same old man, with the corners of his mouth
strongly retracted by the galvanization of the great zygomatic muscles.
That the expression is not natural is clear, for I showed this
photograph to twenty-four persons, of whom three could not in the least
tell what was meant, whilst the others, though they perceived that the
expression was of the nature of a smile, answered in such words as a
wicked joke, trying to laugh, grinning laughter.... half-amazed
laughter, &c. Dr. Duchenne attributes the falseness of the expression
altogether to the orbicular muscles of the lower eyelids not being
sufficiently contracted; for he justly lays great stress on their
contraction in the expression of joy. No doubt there is much truth in
this view, but not, as it appears to me, the whole truth. The
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