Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1828-04-25
From Abernethy's Lectures.l
THE SKULL AND FACE.

There is something TO be mentioned to you
respecting the general form of The skull Drs.
Hunter and Camper turned their minds 10 it a
bout the same time, & believe, without either
knowing the intention Of the other. Camper
drew line from the most projecting part Of The
fol- ehead to the most projecting part OF the up
per law, this he called a FACIAL line-this is
Campers FACIAL line. Now, if you draw ano-
Their line thro' that in horizontal manner, So
as 10 pass from The base Of the nose along the
opening of the ear, you will then have an agile
the two lines will have nearly all the brain be-
tween them; and the greater the angle, OF course
the larger the brain. Here is the skull Of all
African-the angle is very small, recedes
more and more from the perpendicular towards
the horizontal line. Here is different SOFT Of
skull, where the lines intersect each other at
nearly right angles. lE this way Camper dis
tinguished between varieties Of mankind anC
animals. / have beer sometimes talking 10 ar
fists over those specimens of statues left US by
the aDcients wha, is The reason that we see in
them something that always fscinates US, at .he
same time ;ha: we see every thing exaggerated
in them? The anc:en,s did exaggerote in their
statues: but then there was much delicacy,
SO much grace in their exaggeration, that you
did dot see it but you were fascnated their fore>
81,
them coming forward-they overhang The rest
OF the face You see thy 90 not shelve away
they are broad and expanded. Animals, the
bru,es, have scarcely foreheads; the monkeys
forehead, you see recedes; and here is the dogs
forehead falls back completely. The an
clients, therefore, with reason, gave a full pros
iecting for ehead their statues, 10 dignity them
to mark, as il were, the striking difference
there was between man and other animals
Now the eyebrow is quite peculiar to man; no
other animal has it; mark that. What did the
ancients do! Why, they laboured that part Of
the human countenance with extraordinary care
for it is part that is, in a particular manner,
adapted to convey expression. The eyes, too,
they managed in the same way. Some OF the
inferior animals have their eyes so brought for
ward on the surface Of their face, that they can
see sideways; they can see around them, and ev-
en- behind them
That's the case with the hare; the poor timid
animal can see behind him; and so constantly
does he keep looking backward when pursued
that he will rush upon an obstacle right before
him; and as sometimes happens in the chase,
will absolutely break his neck by the force with
which he rushes against it. Now this looking
sideways, and about one, is the of suspicious
disposition. The ancients knew this, and what
tues ewes that look straghtIy and directly upon
you-,hat looked s,errly forwards; and they
did this in order 10 convey 10 The beholder that
the originals felt the very of lmidity, OF
of ap 2rehenson, and suspicion Then the nose.
Man has peculiar one: it has bridge in it,
all other animals; instead of nose have a
snout it's snout not nose-(a laugh.)
Now the ancents, in their heads, attended
greatly 10 the nose: you will find they have pla>
ced il above the cent.e Of the orbit The Greeks
brought the nose straight down-the Romans
gave it bend upwards; they arched II, think
ing that to be the handsomest form, but this is
| ali ma,,erof taste. The nostris they made
as little like snout as possible. In the STA
| tues Of the ancients you see the mouth made
in pecuipr'way,.it is so TO speak as little like
devouriug aperture as p ossible. is, howe
| ver an aperture and that they knew very well;
but they also knew il was made for articulating
for ex pressing thoughts by language; and they
made it as expressive as they could. The lips
were made muscular and strong. Brules, we
| find have no chins-that is a part of the face
peculiar to men. The ancients were very par
ticular abou, it, and formed i. large and express
sive. Now if we could put all these features on
paper, as l have described them, you would
have the countenance of Jupiter Olympus him.
self. The ancients, however, did no, give the
same face to all their statues: oh no; it is quite
true that Dr. Spurzheim said Of them, that they
knew much better than 10 place the head of
philosopher upon the shoulders Of a. gladiator.
Now this sort osinquiry is perhaps more Gu.
rious than useful; i, belongs TO physiology, and
should be left TO be considered under its prop
er head. / will not therefore go farther with
it, merely making one observation with res
pect to the supposed possibility Of ascertain
Ing mems disposition and character from the
shape Of their heads and faces, and the obser>
vation is this-that have seen various skulls,
(here is one for instance;) in which you see
several considerable elevations on the outward
surface, without there being any corresponding
depression on the inside. / need not tell you