Here … we have a person with all the passions and appetites of full-grown man, and controlling intellect of an average child — in fact a criminal idiot.

Greenblatt argues that phrenology was popular in Britain in the 1820s and 1830s because it seemed to offer a practical approach to a major social problem. But the Secretary of State was unmoved by phrenology’s claims. And so too was the legal profession as a whole. Impact in the coloniesGreenblatt (1995) argued that there were two aspects of this that led to the spread of phrenology: firstly, the state of neuroscience at the time and, secondly, the central role of Christian theology in scientific thinking. Phrenological societies began to appear in London and other cities by the 1820s and were discussed in many medical societies (Greenblatt, 1995). Essentially, phrenologists believed that the larger or more prominent a region was, the more likely that person was to have a particular personality trait. Gall believed that an enlarged organ meant that a patient used that particular organ extensively.

As psychologists Dr. Paul Eling, Prof. Stanely Finger, and Prof. Harry Whitaker write in a paper discussing the origin and development of Gall’s ideas: Although Gall believed that the phrenological structure of brains was fixed, his successors contended that these traits were malleable. This provided justification for phrenology as an early biological theory of crime as well as in educating those of lower classes about their position in society by 19th-century advocates. Gall's list of the "brain organs" was specific. An enlarged organ meant that the patient used that particular " organ" extensively. The number—and more detailed meanings—of organs were added later by other phrenologists. The 27 areas varied in function, from sense of color, to religiosity, to being combative or destructive. Each of the 27 "brain organs" was located under a specific area of the skull. As a phrenologist felt the skull, he would use his knowledge of the shapes of heads and organ positions to determine the overall natural strengths and weaknesses of an individual. Phrenologists believed the head revealed natural tendencies but not absolute limitations or strengths of character. The first phrenological chart gave the names of the organs described by Gall; it was a single sheet, and sold for a cent. Later charts were more expansive. [14] History [ edit ] A definition of phrenology with chart from Webster's Academic Dictionary, c. 1895 Public Domain A skull featured in Morton's Crania Americana, in which Morton pointed out alleged differences between skulls from various races. His conclusions were used by some, including phrenologists, to justify white supremacy.

Abstract

But what phrenology also offered was the potential to sort the wheat from the chaff — most phrenologists agreed that some criminals were born bad, while others were made bad by life circumstances. Some scepticism Phrenology, which focuses on personality and character, is distinct from craniometry, which is the study of skull size, weight and shape, and physiognomy, the study of facial features. Bunge (1985), p.54; Stiles (2012), p.11; Cooter (1990), p.156; Christison-Lagay & Cohen (2013), pp.337–354