Phrenology is a now-discredited pseudoscience that sought to determine a person’s personality, intelligence and character traits by examining the shape and contours of their skull. It was based on the belief that the brain is the organ of the mind and that different areas of the brain control specific mental faculties. Proponents of phrenology claimed that the size and development of these brain regions could be measured by studying the bumps and depressions on the skull. This practice suggested that an individual's psychological attributes could be revealed through physical examination.

The origins of phrenology can be traced back to the late 18th century when German physician Franz Joseph Gall first proposed that the brain was divided into multiple distinct “organs”, each responsible for different intellectual and emotional functions. Gall’s ideas were initially referred to as “cranioscopy”. His student, Johann Spurzheim, later refined and popularised the theory, coining the term “phrenology”.

Throughout the 19th century, phrenology gained widespread popularity across Europe and North America. Nor was Australia immune to the craze, mostly thanks to a group of travelling phrenologists with some questionable motives and tactics. It was applied in various fields, including education, criminal profiling, and even career guidance. Scottish lawyer George Combe played a significant role in its popularisation through his influential book The Constitution of Man (1828).

The American brothers Lorenzo Niles Fowler (1811–1896) and Orson Squire Fowler (1809–1887) were leading phrenologists of their time. Orson, together with associates Samuel Robert Wells and Nelson Sizer, ran the phrenological business and publishing house Fowlers & Wells in New York City. Meanwhile, Lorenzo spent much of his life in England, where he initiated the famous phrenological publishing house L. N. Fowler & Co. and gained considerable fame with his phrenology head (a china head showing the phrenological faculties), which has become a symbol of the discipline, and which you can often see sitting on the shelf of an antique store or gift shop.

Despite its initial popularity, phrenology began to decline by the late 19th century. Advances in neuroscience and psychology debunked its fundamental assumptions, revealing that the brain does not function in the compartmentalised manner phrenologists had suggested. Scientific research failed to find any reliable correlation between skull shape and personality traits. Moreover, phrenology became associated with racist ideologies and was used to reinforce existing social hierarchies, promoting a belief in European superiority and a justification for slavery – thereby further damaging its reputation.

As modern psychology, psychiatry and neuroscience emerged, phrenology was relegated to the realm of pseudoscience. However, its legacy persists. While discredited, phrenology contributed to early discussions about the localisation of brain functions, a concept later validated by legitimate scientific research. It also remains a cultural symbol of outdated scientific thinking, frequently referenced in literature and media as a cautionary example of how scientific ideas can evolve or be misapplied.

Ultimately, phrenology stands as a historical curiosity that highlights both the progress and pitfalls of human efforts to understand the mind.

Story Idea: Caitlin
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References

wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrenology
science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/phrenology.htm
abc.net.au/news/2023-08-26/phrenology-the-discredited-pseudoscience-that-took-off
culturefrontier.com/phrenology

Images

1. Phrenology
2. German physiologist Franz Joseph Gall, 1826, National Library of Medicine
3. 19th century European phrenological skull on display at the Wellcome Collection, London
4. As phrenology increased in popularity, so did the number of theoretical "organs" in the brain. Credit: Getty Images: Bettmann
5. Phrenology chart showing suggested divisions of the skull. Credit: Photos.com
6. Cover of American Phrenological Journal from March 1848, volume 10, number 3
7. Know thyself!
8. Page from Vaught's Practical Character Reader (1902)
9. Visiting the phrenologist
10. A phrenology booth does business at a fair in London, Ohio, 1938. Credit: Corbis via Getty Images
11. American Institute of Phrenology in New York (1893)
12. Porcelain phrenology busts being sold at a store in Clearwater, Florida. Photo credit: Justin Waters
13. Mr Burns measures Smithers up in The Simpsons S07E08