Essays on physiognomy. ... for the promotion and the love of mankind / written in the German language by John Caspar Lavater ; tr. by Thomas Holcroft.
- Johann Kaspar Lavater
- Date:
- 1806
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Essays on physiognomy. ... for the promotion and the love of mankind / written in the German language by John Caspar Lavater ; tr. by Thomas Holcroft. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![niYSlOGNOMY. sion (o provCj tluit tlie power of thinking lesulos ncitlier in the foot, in tlie Inuicl, nur in tiic back, biit in llie liead, and in its internal parts? i lie moral lile of man particularly reveals itsclf in the lines, marks, and transitions of thccounte- nancc. IJis moral powers and dcsires; bis irriia- Lility, sympalliVj and antipatliy; bis facility of at- tracting or rcpelling tbc objects ibat binrounci him : ibcse aic all summcd iip in, and paintetl lipon bis coimtenance wbcn at rcsl. W’bcn any passion is eallcd into artion, such passion is de- ])icted by tbe mcjtion of the muscles, and tbcM! motiuns are accompanied by a strong pal|)itation of ibc licart. 1 f tbe countenance bc iram|uil, it always dcnotcs trampiillity in the region of tbe licai t and breast. ’i’bis tbreefold life of man, so intiniatcly inter- ■vvoven tbrougb bis liame, is still capable of being stiidied in its diHerent ajipropriate parts; and, did we live in a less depraved world, \ve slujiild lind MiÜieient data for tbe seience of pbysiognom v. 'l’be animal lile, tbe lowest and most eartbly, •\vould discover itself from tbe rim of tbe beliy lo tbe Organs of generation, wbicb would become its central or focal point. 'Ibe middle or moral life would be seated in tbe breast, and tbe beart would he its central point. Tbe intclleetual life, wbicb of the tbrec is supreme, would reside in thebead, and liave tbe eye l’or its centre. If we take tbe countenance as tbe representative and epitoine, of tlie tbree divisions, tben will tbe forebead to tbe cyebrows.be tbe mirror orimagc ofthe undcrstand- ing ; the nose and cbeeks, tbe Image oftbe moral and sensitive lii’e ; and tbe moutb and cbin, tbe iinage ofthe animal life ; wbile tbc eye will be to itbe whole as its suminary and ccntre. All](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b22029734_0038.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
