Criminal Man, According to the Classification of Cesare LombrosoLombroso, Gina
Science
Criminal Man, According to the Classification of Cesare Lombroso
Lombroso, Gina
Criminal anthropology; Criminology
_The Face._ In striking contrast to the narrow forehead and low vault of
the skull, the face of the criminal, like those of most animals, is of
disproportionate size, a phenomenon intimately connected with the
greater development of the senses as compared with that of the nervous
centres. Prognathism, the projection of the lower portion of the face
beyond the forehead, is found in 45.7% of criminals. Progeneismus, the
projection of the lower teeth and jaw beyond the upper, is found in 38%,
whereas among normal persons the proportion is barely 28%. As a natural
consequence of this predominance of the lower portion of the face, the
orbital arches and zygomæ show a corresponding development (35%) and the
size of the jaws is naturally increased, the mean diameter being 103.9 mm.
(4.09 inches) as against 93 mm. (3.66 inches) in normal persons. Among
criminals 29% have voluminous jaws.
The excessive dimensions of the jaws and cheek-bones admit of other
explanations besides the atavistic one of a greater development of the
masticatory system. They may have been influenced by the habit of
certain gestures, the setting of the teeth or tension of the muscles of
the mouth, which accompany violent muscular efforts and are natural to
men who form energetic or violent resolves and meditate plans of
revenge.
Asymmetry is a common characteristic of the criminal physiognomy. The
eyes and ears are frequently situated at different levels and are of
unequal size, the nose slants towards one side, etc. This asymmetry, as
we shall see later, is connected with marked irregularities in the
senses and functions.
_The Eye._ This window, through which the mind opens to the outer
world, is naturally the centre of many anomalies of a psychic character,
hard expression, shifty glance, which are difficult to describe but are,
nevertheless, apparent to all observers (see Fig. 4). Side by side with
peculiarities of expression, we find many physical anomalies--ptosis, a
drooping of the upper eyelid, which gives the eye a half-closed
appearance and is frequently unilateral; and strabismus, a want of
parallelism between the visual axes, which is insignificant if it arises
from errors of refraction, but is very serious if it betokens
progressive or congenital diseases of the brain or its membranous
coverings. Other anomalies are asymmetry of the iris, which frequently
differs in colour from its fellow; oblique eyelids, a Mongolian
characteristic, with the edge of the upper eyelid folding inward or a
prolongation of the internal fold of the eyelid, which Metchnikoff
regards as a persistence of embryonic characters.
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