The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals the issues at play, writing: "The force of language is much aided by the expressive movements of the face and body" - hinting at a neurological intimacy of language with psychomotor function (body language),and underscoring the social value of expression. Darwin's Sources on Emotional Expression: Darwin had listened to a discussion about emotional expression at the Plinian Society in December 1826 when he was a medical student at Edinburgh University. This had been prompted by the publication of Sir Charles Bell's "Anatomy and Philosophy of Expression"; and in his presentation, the phrenologist William A.F. Browne (in a spirited account of
The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals and a "geologizing expedition" – but actually spent some of his time re-exploring the old haunts of his undergraduate days. On the day of the coronation, 28 June 1838, Darwin was in Edinburgh. A few weeks later, he opened a private notebook with philosophical and psychological speculation – the "M Notebook" – and, over the next three months, filled it with his thoughts about possible interactions of hereditary factors with the mental and behavioural aspects of life.It should also be noted that Darwin made his first attempt at autobiography in August 1838. The critical importance of the "M Notebook" has