three answered extreme fright; so that sixteen answered nearly in
accordance with Duchenne s belief. Six, however, said anger, guided no
doubt, by the strongly contracted brows, and overlooking the peculiarly
opened mouth. One said disgust. On the whole, the evidence indicates
that we have here a fairly good representation of horror and agony. The
photograph before referred to (Pl. VII. fig. 2) likewise exhibits
horror; but in this the oblique eyebrows indicate great mental distress
in place of energy.
Horror is generally accompanied by various gestures, which differ in
different individuals. Judging from pictures, the whole body is often
turned away or shrinks; or the arms are violently protruded as if to
push away some dreadful object. The most frequent gesture, as far as
can be inferred from the action of persons who endeavour to express a
vividly-imagined scene of horror, is the raising of both shoulders,
with the bent arms pressed closely against the sides or chest. These
movements are nearly the same with those commonly made when we feel
very cold; and they are generally accompanied by a shudder, as well as
by a deep expiration or inspiration, according as the chest happens at
the time to be expanded or contracted. The sounds thus made are
expressed by words like _uh_ or _ugh_.[1228] It is not, however,
obvious why, when we feel cold or express a sense of horror, we press
our bent arms against our bodies, raise our shoulders, and shudder.
_Conclusion_. I have now endeavoured to describe the diversified
expressions of fear, in its gradations from mere attention to a start
of surprise, into extreme terror and horror. Some of the signs may be
accounted for through the principles of habit, association, and
inheritance, such as the wide opening of the mouth and eyes, with
upraised eyebrows, so as to see as quickly as possible all around us,
and to hear distinctly whatever sound may reach our ears. For we have
thus habitually prepared ourselves to discover and encounter any
danger. Some of the other signs of fear may likewise be accounted for,
at least in part, through these same principles. Men, during numberless
generations, have endeavoured to escape from their enemies or danger by
headlong flight, or by violently struggling with them; and such great
exertions will have caused the heart to beat rapidly, the breathing to
be hurried, the chest to heave, and the nostrils to be dilated. As
these exertions have often been prolonged to the last extremity, the
final result will have been utter prostration, pallor, perspiration,
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