206 PHYSICAL EXPRESSION. 



ness about the eyes, especially about the under 

 eyelid. It appeared that this expression must be 

 due principally to the condition of the orbicular is 

 palpebrarum muscle. There was no pitting on 

 pressure, therefore obviously no dropsy, and when 

 the face is dropsical this relaxed full appearance is 

 not seen. Further, if the patient were made to 

 laugh, the muscle became energized, and tucked the 

 skin in well a,gainst the eyeball ; thus the expression 

 of headache was lost for a time. Specially observ- 

 ing the orbicular muscle and the parts adjacent, 

 there seemed to be a loss of tone in it ; there was 

 an appearance of fullness and flabbiness ; the skin 

 hung too loose, with an increase of the number of 

 folds ; and, in place of falling against the lower 

 eyelid neatly, as a convex surface, it fell more or 

 less in a plane from the ciliary margin to the lower 

 margin of the orbit. This condition is often best 

 seen by looking at the face in profile. It was 

 often seen when the skin was healthy and elastic ; 

 especially in children, and it could , be completely 

 removed by energizing the child. It passed away, in 

 many cases, as health improved. It is not suggested 

 that the nerve-muscular condition indicates only the 

 states of brain producing headache; it may occur in 

 other states of nerve-depression. 



We have now considered several distinct modes 

 of facial expression dependent upon nerve-muscular 

 conditions difference in the tone and conditions of 

 contraction of the different facial muscles. These 

 conditions are a direct expression of the brain 

 action, because they result solely from brain action. 



