structure, so with the movements of expression it is advisable to
follow as nearly as possible the same plan. The earliest and almost
sole expression seen during the first days of infancy, and then often
exhibited is that displayed during the act of screaming; and screaming
is excited, both at first and for some time afterwards, by every
distressing or displeasing sensation and emotion, by hunger, pain,
anger, jealousy, fear, &c. At such times the muscles round the eyes are
strongly contracted; and this, as I believe, explains to a large extent
the act of frowning during the remainder of our lives. I repeatedly
observed my own infants, from under the age of one week to that of two
or three months, and found that when a screaming-fit came on gradually,
the first sign was the contraction of the corrugators, which produced a
slight frown, quickly followed by the contraction of the other muscles
round the eyes. When an infant is uncomfortable or unwell, little
frowns as I record in my notes may be seen incessantly passing like
shadows over its face; these being generally, but not always, followed
sooner or later by a crying-fit. For instance, I watched for some time
a baby, between seven and eight weeks old, sucking some milk which was
cold, and therefore displeasing to him; and a steady little frown was
maintained all the time. This was never developed into an actual
crying-fit, though occasionally every stage of close approach could be
observed.
As the habit of contracting the brows has been followed by infants
during innumerable generations, at the commencement of every crying or
screaming fit, it has become firmly associated with the incipient sense
of something distressing or disagreeable. Hence under similar
circumstances it would be apt to be continued during maturity, although
never then developed into a crying-fit. Screaming or weeping begins to
be voluntarily restrained at an early period of life, whereas frowning
is hardly ever restrained at any age. It is perhaps worth notice that
with children much given to weeping, anything which perplexes their
minds, and which would cause most other children merely to frown,
readily makes them weep. So with certain classes of the insane, any
effort of mind, however slight, which with an habitual frowner would
cause a slight frown, leads to their weeping in an unrestrained manner.
It is not more surprising that the habit of contracting the brows at
the first perception of something distressing, although gained during
infancy, should be retained during the rest of our lives, than that
many other associated habits acquired at an early age should be
148