Erasmus Darwin

“ The blushing of accused people, whether guilty or not, appears to be owing to circumstances similar to that of anger; for in these situations there is always a sudden voluntarity, or wish, of clearing their characters arises in the mind of the accused person; which, before an opportunity is given for it to be expended on the large muscles, influences the capillary arteries and glands, as in the preceding article. ”

“ The blush of young girls on coming into an assembly room, where they expect their dress, and steps, and manner to be examined, as in dancing a minuet, may have another origin; and may be considered as a hot fit of returning confidence, after a previous cold fit of fear. ”

“ And in those efforts of recollection the word opposite to the word required is often produced, as hot for cold, winter for summer, which is owing to our associating our ideas of things by their opposites as well as by their similitudes, and in some instances perhaps more frequently, or more forcibly. ”

“ The cutaneous capillaries, especially those of the face, are more mobile, that is, more easily excited into increased action, or more easily become torpid, from less variation of sensorial power, than any other parts of the system, which is owing to their being perpetually subject to the vicissitudes of heat and cold, and of extension and corrugation. ”

“ The interruption of the voluntary associations of motions by anger, originates from too great a part of the sensorial power being exerted on the organs of sense; whence the muscles, which ought to support the body upright, are deprived of their due quantity, and tremble from debility. See Class III. 2. 1. 1.
5. Rubor ex irâ. Redness from anger. Anger is an excess of aversion, that is of voluntarity not yet employed. It is excited by the pain of offended pride; when it is employed it becomes outrage, cruelty, insanity. ”

“ This should be practised for weeks or months upon every word, which the stammerer hesitates in pronouncing. To this should be added much commerce with mankind, in order to acquire a carelessness about the opinions of others. ”

“ Similar to this is the difficulty which old people experience in learning new bodily movements, that is, in associating new muscular actions, as in learning a new trade or manufactury. The trains of movements, which obey volition, are the last which we acquire ”