Chap. VII. DEPRESSED CORNERS OF THE MOUTH. 193 



ently follows from the same general principles as in the 

 case of the obliquity of the eyebrows. Dr. Duchenne 

 informs me that he concludes from his observations, now 

 prolonged during many years, that this is one of the 

 facial muscles which is least under the control of the 

 will. This fact may indeed be inferred from what has 

 just been stated with respect to infants when doubtfully 

 beginning to cry, or endeavouring to stop crying; for 

 they then generally command all the other facial mus- 

 cles more effectually than they do the depressors of the 

 corners of the mouth. Two excellent observers who 

 had no theory on the subject, one of them a surgeon, 

 carefully watched for me some older children and women 

 as with some opposed struggling they very gradually 

 approached the point of bursting out into tears; and 

 both observers felt sure that the depressors began to 

 act before any of the other muscles. Xow as the de- 

 pressors have been repeatedly brought into strong action 

 during infancy in many generations, nerve-force will 

 tend to flow, on the principle of long associated habit, 

 to these muscles as well as to various other facial mus- 

 cles, whenever in after life even a slight feeling of dis- 

 tress is experienced. But as the depressors are some- 

 what less under the control of the will than most of the 

 other muscles, we might expect that they would often 

 slightly contract, whilst the others remained passive. 

 It is remarkable how small a depression of the corners 

 of the mouth gives to the countenance an expression of 

 low spirits or dejection, so that an extremely slight con- 

 traction of these muscles would be sufficient to betray 

 this state of mind. 



I may here mention a trifling observation, as it will 

 serve to sum up our present subject. An old lady with 

 a comfortable but absorbed expression sat nearly oppo- 



