Face, the external part of the head, and as the philosopher would say, it is the mirror to the soul; but as our subjects are physiology and anatomy here, we must limit ourselves to these topics.

The face comprises the part of the head that extends from the hairline to the neck, i.e., forehead, eyebrows, eyelids, eyes, nose, lips, mouth, chin, cheeks, and ears (see all these entries) .

Cicero notes in his legal treatise, book 1 chapter ix , that no animal has a face similar to men’s and that only human face s can express so many thoughts and internal passions. We all understand what those signs are, although, we cannot characterize them in detail; but generally speaking, we know that shame causes blushing and fear makes the face turn pale. These two symptoms, connected to the structure and the transparency of the skin, are not found in any other animal and give humans their particular beauty.

Also, it is on the face that laughter and tears appear, two other symptoms of human passions; one is associated with the pleasures of society, and the other made to rouse the compassion of the cold-hearted. How many different muscles need to move to produce eye movements and set the rest of the face in motion? Those muscles are set in motion by the nerves of the fifth or sixth pair, and consequently are in direct connection with man’s particular nervous system.

This prodigious diversity of facial features, which explains that among many millions of people, not even two resemble each other, is an admirable thing in itself, and at the same time very useful for the survival of societies. Because men may be easily distinguishable by their simple facial appearance, they recognize without mistake those with whom they have had contact; it is through this ability that they can give certain testimony of what someone said, did, or undertook. This would not be possible if each person’s particular features did not prevent confusion.

“What will we think of Trebellius Calca?” asked the Roman historian, Valerius Maximus (c. xv.) who claimed with confidence the identity of Clodius. When he wanted to obtain his property, he argued his case with so much success in front of the centumviri that the violent outburst of the populace left almost no hope of a just sentence. Nevertheless, in this unique case, the honesty and the religion of the judges triumphed over the claimant’s dishonesty and the violence of the people who supported him.

The parts of the face being among the most visible, one must consider two things in dressing the wounds that affect them. First, the intended use must be preserved to each part, and second, one must avoid leaving scars that are likely to disfigure. But as the face is comprised of many different parts, each one needs a particular treatment, which must be discussed in detail for each of these parts, forehead, eyebrows, eye, nose, cheeks etc.

Small pox, of all diseases, is the one that has the biggest impact on the face . But outbreaks are prevented through inoculation, which is the best, and the most useful discovery of medicine.

Other more or less severe deformities of this part of the head, are couperose, (see entry) , birthmarks, freckles, and a rough complexion.

Birthmarks are without remedy. Freckles often disappear on their own and are sometimes rooted deeply in the capillaries of the skin. Alcohol mixed with a little behen oil and applied each night to the face with a small brush dissolves freckles that come from exposure to the sun.

The roughness of the complexion comes from rouge that people put on their face , for it is certain that it ruins the complexion, dries out the skin, and deteriorates the face .

We read in reports from the Academy of Sciences, that the way to keep the face fresh, is to stop perspiration by using oil-based drugs; but far from being useful, that advice is dangerous.

The outdoors, gusty winds, and prolonged perspiration roughen the complexion. There are women who scratch their face with pieces of glass to smoothe the skin, but they make it rougher and more likely to harden. One must never leave anything rough on the face ; one must simply wash it liberally with a little lukewarm water or with some fresh donkey milk. Regarding the withering of the face caused by aging, Horace knew what to think about it when he wrote to Posthumus.

Notes

1. Translator’s note: Horace’s text is: