Lavater

Lavater Johann Caspar (J. K. Lavater, 1741-1801), Swiss pastor and writer, author of a monumental work on physiognomy: "Physiognomische Fragmente zur Beförderung der Menschenkenntnis und Menschenliebe" (Lpz., 1775-78; Russian ed.-SPB, 1817). The theoretical positions of L. are unscientific and naive, although his thought about the need to divide physiognomy into two parts—static and dynamic, or, in his terminology, properly physiognomic and pathognomic (the first was to study the face in a state of rest, and the second in a state of excitement)—still retains significance. The teaching of L. first acquired great popularity, especially thanks to his practical observations, in which he was guided by his "physiognomic tact," but the arbitrariness and subjectivism of his constructions soon began to cause numerous objections. In recent times, it has again attracted some interest in connection with the general formulation of the problem of the relationship between body structure, motor skills, and character.