Facies, in medicine, describes faces “with a message”. In this instance, the groom is clearly "sub-normal", perhaps microcephalic (small head) and has a “saddle-like nose” and a small chin (micrognathia).  It is cruel for the bystanders to mock the fate of the bride who may have no say in the matter of her betrothal.

In biologic terms, the FACE is the relatively flat portion of the skull and is, inferior and anterior (ventral) to the cranium. From the facial FACET the NOSE protrudes and in some races so do the LIPS. Some hold that the greater the brain development, the greater the abundance of facial skin muscles that FACILITATE the expression of feelings.

In some ethnic groups, noses tend to be prominent, in others, the lips. Ancient and modern artists have stressed this point.

The face is like a FACADE used to display, distort or hide feelings. In FACT, the face is a FACTORY of signals that lend humans the FACULTY to show pain, pleasure, surprise, be FACETIOUS or to grimace in tune with FASHIONS and ethnic cultures.

“Caras y caretas” in Spanish is for face and mask - some people’s faces are, in fact, only masks - in others, as shown below, the face expresses feelings.

Facial Expressions or Facies
Joy	Surprise	Apprehension
Sadness	Depression	Lament
Terror	Pain	Agony

Early geneticists could not study genes per se. Instead, they analyzed facial features in search of reliable predictive markers. The belief was that the brain was the cardinal evolutionary organ and that facial proportions reflected brain development as well as the use of facial muscles. Such pursuits gave rise to the term PHYSIOGNOMY (phyein for "to engender" and gnomo for "to judge"). The science of  "Physiognomology" is now dormant. However, millions are spent on travel for "face to face" meetings which underscores the enduring importance given to facial expressions.

Early efforts to measure faces

"Grades of Intelligence"

Scientificism (false science)

Strictly speaking, the words face, facies and physiognomy are synonymous. Surely, most persons grasp the implications in "looking" tired, anxious, excited, bored, happy or ill. In medical terms, "looking" is replaced by "facies". When a clinical geneticists observes a "Down or Achondroplasia syndrome facies", it implies that facial traits or signs, signal or suggest a diagnosis.

Individuals with achondroplasia have a typical facies, particularly a “pug” like nose.

Down Syndrome once referred to as “mongolism” or worse yet, “Kalmuk idiocy”, reflected offensive racist views of other cultures. The fact that Down Syndrome is due to the presence of an extra chromosome 21 was predicted by an American pioneer, Dr. H. Cummins, through his studies of finger and palm prints.  His work established the FBI system of fingerprint identification.