PHY 
other; there is, perhaps, even a peculiar 
arrangement of the memhers of the face, 
and a peculiar disposition of the counte- 
nance to each particular affection of the 
mind. Some, indeed, have asserted, that 
the language of the face is as copious, and 
as distinct and intelligible as that of the 
tongue: to this, however, we must beg 
leave to object ; it may be as sincere, but 
certainly not so intelligible. The face has 
been said to act the part of a dial-plate, 
and the wheels and springs within the ma- 
chine actuating its muscles, shew what is 
next to be expected from the striking part, 
But if, by repeated acts, or the frequent 
entertaining of a favourite passion or vice, 
the face is often put into that posture which 
attends such acts, it may, in some measure, 
become fixed, and aimnst unalterable, in 
that posture, unless some present object 
distort it therefrom, or some dissimulation 
hide it; and hence it has been assumed that 
much accuracy would enable one to distin- 
guish, not only habits and tempers, but 
also professions. 
We have asserted that all men arc invo- 
luntarily physiognomists, but tiie impression 
made by the first sight of a person, is gene 
rally too slight to leave an injurious bias 
upon the mind of the observer; and it is for- 
tunate for man that this is the case, other- 
wise prejudices would be generated which 
might set half the world at variance with the 
remainder. We have thought it necessary 
to explain the nature of the science under 
consideration, but we by no means recom- 
mend its study, as nothing can be more dan- 
gerous to the existing harmony of society ; 
besides every person is not prepared for 
thi|^ pursuit, which requires a sound judg- 
ment, a good education, a perfect know- 
ledge of what human features are in their 
pristine shape, and of the numerous causes 
which occasion their derangement. For in- 
stance, it is very evident that a peevish 
habit, and a melancholy countenance, may 
be produced by a series of misfortunes ; be- 
sides, the writer of this article has had an 
opportunity of observing two persons who 
have been the victims of excessive anxiety, 
whose faces now possess a character totally 
foreign to that which they possessed a few 
years past, one a handsome man with per- 
fectly regular features, passing through the 
streets under the influence of deep thought 
and perplexity, suddenly perceived that 
every object changed its place, in short the 
eyes were turned inwards towards the nose, 
in which position they remain, and he will 
PHY 
squint, a.s flie term is, to the last moment of 
his life : a physiognomist, a stranger to this 
fact, must conceive a very different charac- 
ter of the man from the truth : the other 
person, enduring the same species of mental 
perturbation, experienced a slight paralytic 
affection, and from that moment the right 
corner of his mouth has been drawn down- 
wards, producing an appearance of immo- 
derate grief, even when the rest of his fea- 
tures are enlivened with pleasure. “No one,” 
says Lavater, “ whose person is not well- 
foi'ined can become a good physiognomist. 
Those painters were the best whose persons 
were the handsomest. Reubens, Vandyke, 
and Raphael, possessing three gradations of 
beauty, possessed three gradations of the 
genius of painting. The physiognomists of 
the greatest symmetry are the best. As the 
most virtuous can best determine on virtue, 
so can the most handsome countenances on 
the goodness, beauty, and noble traits of 
the human countenance, and consequently 
on its defects and ignoble properties. The 
scarcity of human beauty is the reason why 
physiognomy is so much desired, and finds 
so many opponents. No person, therefore, 
ought to enter the sanctuary of physiog- 
nomy, who lias a debased mind, an ill-form- 
ed forehead, a blinking eye, or a distorted 
mouth. “ The light of the body is the eye ; 
if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole 
body shall be full of light ! but if thine eye 
be evil, thy whole body shall be full of dark- 
ness : if therefore that light that is in thee 
be darkness, how great is that darkness:” 
PHYSIOLOGY is, according to the deri- 
vation of the terra, a discourse on natural bo- 
dies : butitformerly denoted only an internal 
reasoning, which terminates in speculation,or 
abstract contemplation of its object; namely, 
natural appearances, their causes, &c. : hut 
the usual acceptation of the word is very 
different in the present state of science, as 
we shall see by the following article. 
Phvsiology is the science which treats 
of the powers that actuate tlie compo- 
nent parts of living animal bodies, and of 
the functions which those bodies execute. 
It presupposes, therefore, a knowledge of 
the structure of the body, which is the ob- 
ject of anatomy ; the latter may be called 
the science of organization, while physio- 
logy is the science of life. The two sub- 
jects are so closely connected, that they 
would be most advantageously considered 
in connection with each other. Hence the 
reader will find many physiological consi- 
derations under the articles Anatomy and 
