Chirologia: The Natural History of the Hand
by John
Bulwer
 |
| First published 1644 |
John Bulwer wrote five works exploring the body and human
communication. He suggested that much of our gesturing is intuitive and
inherently natural to mankind, and he record the vocabulary contained in over
100 hand gestures and bodily motions, producing Chirologia, alongside a
companion text which featured illustrated hand and finger gestures that were
intended for an orator to memorise and perform whilst speaking, primarily from
the pulpit. His described gestures included wringing the hands to convey grief,
and pretending to wash your hands as a way to protest innocence. Bulwer’s
theories had their roots in classical civilisation, including the works of
Aristotle b. 384BC. Bulwer always referred to Chirologia and Chironomia as
separate works but over time they have come to be seen as a single volume.
[The hand] “speaks all languages, and as universal
character of Reason is generally understood and known by all Nations, among the
formal differences of their Tongue. And being the only speech that is natural
to Man, it may well be called the Tongue and General language of Human Nature,
which, without teaching, men in all regions of the habitable world doe at the
first sight most easily understand”