The New Student's Reference Work/Phrenology

Phrenol′ogy In popular language phrenology may be defined as the theory of mental philosophy based on the size or the relative size of the different parts of the brain. It claims that we can localize the different parts of the brain which gives rise to different mental functions. Phrenologists make a map of the cranium, on one division writing self-esteem; on another, wit; and so on. Examining your head, the phrenologist will put his finger on one point and say: “This man has a large development of self-esteem.” Moving his hand to another bump: “This man is lacking in veneration;” or “He has a great power of language;” or “He has to try hard to give exact statements;” and so on. The cultivated phrenologist thus goes through all the divisions of mental and moral qualities, finding a local boundary in the brain for each. In Britain, Gall, Spurzheim and George and Andrew Combe may be mentioned as representative phrenologists. In America the more noted ones are Dr. Charles Caldwell, the Fowler brothers and Wells.