Judging character from features of face or form of body. The idea goes back to Aristotle who argued by analogy: Those with features resembling an animal might be expected to show similar characteristics. So, for example, someone with a face like a fox would be cunning. Despite its long history and its eminent and respected originator, the idea has generally fallen into dis¬ favor and today is regarded as not supported by the evidence and therefore pseudoscientific. Nevertheless, it has been revived many times and has had other eminent advocates. Nineteenth-century physician Cesare LOM- BROSO (1835-1909) claimed that a large proportion of criminals were biologically determined and that their predisposition to criminal behavior could be seen in their facial features. In the 18th century, Swiss J. K. Lavater was an enthusiastic advocate.
To discredit the idea totally is difficult. That there are cases where facial features do have implications cannot be denied. So, for example, doctors can diagnose, almost from the moment of birth, whether a newborn child has trisomy-21 (Downs syndrome or mongolism) the eyelids, the tongue, and the general facial conformation are the indicators. Other genetic predispositions, such as cretinism or hydrocephalus, have their facial or bodily markers. But this is very different from the greater claim of physiognomy to be able to assess a wide range of personal characteristics from physical features. One claim, often made, is that people with long fingers are likely to be good pianists; a quick trawl through great pianists shows this to be mistaken. There have been several thorough surveys during a 200-year period that show convincingly that the correlation between physical and psychological characteristics is so low as to be negligible. In today’s environment, the simple physiognomic relationship has been supplanted by genetic and biochemical influences: If a person has certain genetic or biochemical abnormalities, these will produce certain behavioral effects. Biological determinism is a very seductive idea, and it will probably never go away.