18$ PHYSICAL EXPRESSION". 



brain conditions, or emotions. In girls and in 

 young people convalescent from chorea, etc., we 

 often see inclination of the head, with slight rota- 

 tion to the same side, and flexion. I have often 

 observed, as a coincident hand posture, that we 

 have in the free upper extremity the nervous hand 

 on the side opposite to that of inclination and 

 rotation. Very commonly in a weak child when 

 told to hold out the hands to the front, we see a 

 left nervous hand, with head flexion, and rotation 

 and inclination of the right. In such a case the 

 left nervous hand is the expression of the weakness 

 and irritability of the right side of the brain, the 

 head flexion shows weakness, and its rotation and 

 inclination to the right express that the muscles 

 on the left side of the neck are weaker than those 

 on the right, giving another indication of the weak 

 state of the right group of nerve-centres. 



In studying postures of the head we have to 

 consider some curious effects of gravity, explain 

 them how we may. These principles affect, also, 

 postures of the trunk, but I hardly think that they 

 come into play in explanation of postures of other 

 parts. 



In a man with full health and strength the head 

 is held erect. If the head falls, say, to the left 

 shoulder, as the outcome of a temporary relaxation 

 of the muscles of the right side, these muscles will 

 be stretched, being on the convex side of the neck. 

 This is the effect of gravity acting on the skull. 

 This stretching of the right muscles transmits such 

 an impulse to the nerve-centres as stimulates the 



