Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 37.djvu/533

Rh Sir Crichton-Browne tells us that, in general paralysis of the insane, there is invariably optimism, beginning generally with trembling at the corners of the mouth and the outer corners of the eye. The old phrenologists located "hope" in this region (a, Fig. 2), and there is, no doubt, a strong relation between hope and optimism; and I find, in the writings of Combe, frequent allusions that this organ gave a tendency to cheerfulness. At the same time I must note that Gall, the founder of phrenology, did not admit "hope" as a faculty, but included this portion of brain in his organ of "imitation," or "center for mimicry," of which I shall speak directly.

There are many defects in the old phrenological system; one of them being that it rather favored complex functions. But, all the same, an unprejudiced investigator must take their observations into consideration. I need not remark that, when I refer to phrenology, I mean only the observations of Gall, and not the fancies and fallacies of his followers.

This center for the elevator muscles, and probable center from which exhilarating emotions take their start, is in close connection with Exner's center for the facial nerve.

Ferrier's center, No. 7, is a little lower than the center for the "nervus facialis" as located by Exner (Localisation der Functionen in der Grosshirnrinde des Menschen, Wien, 1881). The "nervus facialis" center occupies a very large portion of brain in Exner's collection of pathological evidence. The most intense centers for facial movements are localized by him in the squares marked 57, 58, 65 (Fig. 3), but are said to extend actually from the gyrus centralis anterior to the latter halves of the lower frontal convolutions. He quotes many cases of disease of this nerve, and is particularly struck with the frequency with which disease of the facial nerve and aphasia concur. He says (page 56) it can not be mere chance that paralysis of the facialis is frequently accompanied by aphasia and the reverse—an observation which was also made by Ferrier.

There is sufficient evidence that the center for the facial movements occupies an area extending from the ascending frontal convolution to the middle frontal convolution—a fact which was noted by Gall. He located in this region the talent for mimicry, the talent of imitating the gestures of other people (b, Fig. 2); more than this, he noted that, when this region was prominently developed, there was not only a talent for mimicry, but also a talent for the imitation of the voice of other people, and many examinations and casts of heads of eminent actors were made to prove this theory.

We have heard from Exner and Ferrier how closely the speech and facial nerve centers are connected; both in perfection