As the strongest of these are those which pull the corners of the mouth
outward and downward, the resultant expression is one of depression,
with downward-curving angles to the mouth. The eyes, and even the
nostrils, sympathetically follow suit, and we have that countenance
which, by the cartoonist's well-known trick, can be produced by the
alteration of one pair of lines, those at the angles of the mouth,
turning a smiling countenance into a weeping one. On the other hand, if
all these processes of nutrition and absorption are proceeding as they
should, they are accompanied by mild sensations of comfort which,
although they no longer reach our consciousness, reveal themselves in
the mouth-opening muscles, and they gently contract upward and outward,
in pleasurable anticipation of the next intake, and we get the grin or
the smile.
If, on the other hand, these digestive disturbances be accompanied by
pain, then another shading appears on our magic mirror, and that is a
curious contraction of the mouth, with distortion of the lines
surrounding it, so violent in some cases as positively to whiten the
lips or produce lines of paleness along the course of the muscles. This
is the set or twisted mouth of agony, and is due to a curious
transference and reflex on this order: that inasmuch as the last food
which entered the alimentary canal seems to have caused this disturbance
and pain, no more will be allowed to enter it at present under any
conditions. And as our alimentary instincts are the most fundamental of
all, by a due process of transference, mental agony calls into action
this same set of muscles, to shut out any possible addition to the agony
already present.
The lines of determination, similarly, about the mouth, are those of the
individual who has the courage to say "No" to the tempting morsel when
he doesn't need it; and the lines of weakness and irresolution are those
of the nature which cannot resist either gastronomic or other
temptation. Similarly, the well-known lines of disgust or of discontent
about the corners of the mouth are the unconscious contractions
accompanying nausea, and preparations to expel the offending morsel
whether from stomach or mouth.
If, on the other hand, our first glance shows us that the deepest
pain-lines are those about the nostrils and upper lip, especially if the
wings of the nostrils can be seen to dilate with each breath, and
breathing be faster than normal, our clew points in the direction of
some disease of the great organs above the diaphragm--that is, the
lungs or heart.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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