The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-04-10
LAUGHING AND CRYING.
How These Outward Signs of Joy and sor-
row Affect Human Ma t1re.

How These Outward Signs of Joy and sor-
row Affect Human Ma t1re.
ri suppose the most promin ent cause
of laughter" says Df. William 4. Fam.
mond, "is sudden revolution of the
emotions-that is, change from one
emotion to another, especially wien the
changes are Of pleasant character.
Thus, for instance, when we have been
reading something rather calculated to
excite grief and we come to something of
ridiculous character our tendency is to
laugh, while if We had the ridiculous all
through we probably would not laugh at
all. Then ne laugh at attempted wit
rather than at true wit. True nit rather
excites pleasure, but does not produce
laughter, as does buaoonery. We laugh
at the antics of clown, but not at the
sayings Of Moliere.'
"What is the immediate cause of
laughter?''
"It is the reflex action excited by the
causes have mentioned acting through
the brain and nervous system upon the
respiratory muscles, throwing them into
spasmodic action. Laughter is spasm
of the respiratory muscles, accompanied
by relaxation of the muscles Of the face
and sometimes by the shedding Of tears" !"
"At what age do people laugh the
most 2"
"I think it is not often the case that
adult men laugh. They smile, but
laughing is in greater part confined
to women and children. A mere
child laughs readily, and an elderly per-
son who has long passed the middle life
is very apt to laugh at slight causes.
This, however, is dangerous for them to
do, as they may bring on apoplexy or drop
dead from some heart disease if they in.
dulge too immoderately. I have known
several instances of death being brought
on in this way by old people. Then per.
sons of enfeebled faculties will laugh at
certain things which would not excite
riaibility with an adult of we'll ordered
mind. A very curious circumstance con.
nected with laughter ii; that, especially
with children, and sometimes with NO.
men and frequently with old people, the
visible expression of the emotion does
not correspond with their real feeling.
They laugh when surprised. I had a
patient once who laughed whenever he
saw funeral. He meant to cry rather
than to laugh. There was another who
laughed immoderately whenever he read
the obituary columns of a newspaper.
he said he did so because he felt so sor.
ry. He would laugh from FIVE to ten
minutes at q time before he could control
himself"
"Do not ignorant people laugh more
than the educated ?"
"Yes; that is bscause they have not
been so accustomed to control their emo.
tions as are people of refined life. But
the reasons for laughter are most intri.
cate. have patient who laughs over
a solemn French book he is reading.
He laughs over in most exciteable
manner, and what he laughs at I cannot
imagine"
"What are the facts in regard to weep.
ing?"
"Weeping, the shedding of tears, is
rarely INDUCED in by adult men of good
mind for causes of real sorrow. Old per.
sons, women and children, weep; men OF
we'll ordered minds do not. Man does
not weep as rule under pain; be may
grosn, but he does not shed tears, though
children and women will do 80 often on
slight occasions.
"What produces weeping 2"
"Generally physical pain. Adults do
not usually express sympathy for real suf.
fering with tears. 1t is very curious
thing that men will witness the real suf.
fering of q poor woman having her leg
amputated in perfectly stoical manner.
They go to the theatre, and seeing a
girl taking the part of one in distress,
shed tears during half the play. have
looked upon many distressing scenes un-
moved 80 far as weeping is concerned,
but upon watching acted suffering I have
had tears come into my eyes. A
remarkable example of this principle is
that of Nena Sahib, the Indian mutineer
He could never read a pitiful story with.
out crying over it, yet be inflicted the
most horrible tortures on the men and
women who fell into his hands, and
seemed to enjoy their misery
"At what age do people weep most
readily ?"
1.-THE proclivity 10 shed tears is very
we'll marked in old people, especially
when they are suffering from some brain
disease, such as apople1y. or have suffer
ed from it. They weep over trihes.
had under my care at one time one oi
the most eminent gentlemen Of his time,
who occupied poat next to the highest
under the government, who would cry
because his coffee was cold, and yet that
mans mind in its best condition was one
of the best this country ever produced
1 have seen him cry for ten minutes on
such occasions. He was suffering from
brain disease. Some persons can't weep
even when they want to, though the griel
of those persons is very distressing, and
is very apt to produce serious disturbance
of the nervous system, and when tears dc
come il is great relic for them"
"What effect do these emotions have
on people?"
II think that laughter is better fol