Page 140 - My FlipBook

138

sions and dispositions of mind, to persons possessing certain
kinds of teeth, I feel it a duty to endeavour to rescue many
worthy and amiable people, who have bad or irregular teeth,
from the unjust odium cast upon them by the disciples of
Lavater.
I shall here give some of the principal of his observations
upon this subject, and then hope to show that they are erro-
neous.
" Nothing is more certain, more striking, or continually vis-
ible, than the characteristics of the teeth, and the manner in
which they display themselves.
" Small, si ot teeth, which have generally been held by
old physiognomists to denote weakness, 1 have remarked in
adults of extraordinary strength, but they seldom were ofpure
white.
" Long teeth, certain signs of weakness and pusillanimity.
White, clean, well arranged teeth, visible as soon as the
mouth opens, but not projecting, nor always entirely seen, I
have never met with in adults, except in good, acute, honest
candid, faithful men.
" I have also met foul, uneven and ugly teeth, in persons of
the above good character ; but it was always either sickness
or some mental imperfection, which gave this deformity.
" Short, broad teeth, standing close to each other, shew
tranquil, firm strength.
" Melancholy persons have seldom, well arranged, clean
and white teeth."
There is no doubt that the above appearances excited in
the mind of Lavater the ideas of the mental qualities he as-
cribes to them, and that they make the same impressions on
other readers of the hu nan countenance but those who
;
study the history of the teeth will know that the unworthy
and profligate may possess those external marks which Lava-