Phrenology Revisited
Topic: Metaphysical

"Phrenology is always criticized by those who never studied the science, using rather obscure reasonings and aprioristic statements." - Dr. DESCURET, "La Medecine des Passions"


"Hey Tige," I said to Mr. Tiger, the blockhead of my psyche, "there was a time when Phrenology, the study of the shape of the skull, was readily accepted. A phrenologist was consulted by thousands of people to access a persons character, personality traits, and latent abilities. The bumps, and the size of the head were thought to be a clue to a persons propensities or even a good way to find a marriage partner."

'And what brings this up today?' asked the pest in his smart-alecky way. 'Are you ready to admit you are a bonehead?'

It's a good thing I've long since grown past the days when an insult like that would have me running to the mirror. I was able to calmly respond, "I find it interesting that this ancient object of study - one that was once eagerly embraced by the medical community has virtually disappeared."

'With good reason,' the paper tiger sassed.

"This old self-instructor book, as they called it, entitled Phrenology: New Illustrated Self-Instructor in Phrenology and Physiology with over 100 engravings by O.S. and L.N. Fowler, offers detailed "description of various traits detected by phrenology," I went on.

'An old book and an old topic - dead and buried long ago,' said Tiger and before he strongly suggested, 'It's nonsense.'

"Perhaps," I half heartedly agreed. "I've no real knowledge of this subject, just a tireless interest in anything pertaining to body shape, facial features, and head size."

'A foot fetish too,' Mr. Tiger accused.

"Hands also," I threw in to make sure not to leave the impression that my attraction was not an erotic fixation.

I ended with a link to The History of Phrenology and a copy and paste of an excerpt from My Battle for Life: The Autobiography of a Phrenologist by David, G. Goyder from an 1857 edition of a 481 page book. Text complied by historian Dr John van Wyhe who authored, Phrenology and the Origins of Victorian Scientific Naturalism.

page 124
...showy, but rather rambling lecturer; but people were generally disappointed at the conclusion of his lectures. His subjects were Mnemonics and Phrenology. He was very skillful in the selection of his pupils, whom he invariably chose according to their organization. He has passed from this natural state of being, and the conclusion of his existence was, I believe, embittered by poverty and neglect.
But, to return to myself. It was from Dr. Crook that I received my first phrenological impressions, and so firm did his instructions take hold of me, that from the time of his visit to Bristol, I noted the peculiarities of all I came in contact with, and then turned to their organization to see if those peculiarities harmonized therewith. I was often at fault, mistaking prominent bones for eminences of brain; and as I had no one to consult, I made many mistakes.
With a very superficial knowledge of osteology, and great dread of ridicule, I kept my opinions to myself ; but, from the time of my first hearing Dr. Crook, I became a portrait collector. I never found a person with a low and contracted forehead possessed of high intellectual ability ; and eminence of intellect I ever found associated with depth and breadth of forehead. My portrait collecting has continued; and, at the present time, a period of thirty six years from my first impression of phrenology, I think I possess the best collection of portraits of any phrenologist in Great Britain.
I continued to take notice of the formation of the head of the different persons I came in contact with. In other words, I began to reduce to practice my small amount of phrenological knowledge. I did this both with regard to children as well as adults, and my situation afforded me abundant opportunities for the study of character. I had a deaf and dumb pupil, who was largely endowed with the qualities of imitation and music. I wondered whether music could be considered as a primitive and independent.

more here: http://pages.britishlibrary.net/phrenology/other_texts/goyder.txt