PHRENOLOGY'S DARK HISTORY
Phrenology emerged in America in 1832, when Johann Spurzheim began speaking about Franz-Joseph Gall’s proposition that different functions of the brain were localized to specific areas. Gall taught that if a certain function were used more than another, that area of the brain would grow or shrink with use, which could be felt on the skull. Therefore, assessment of an individual’s personality traits could be determined based on merely feeling the skull for specific “bumps” in certain areas. Phrenologists proceeding Gall came to believe that individuals could “strengthen” the positive aspects of their personality, similar to the concept of exercising muscles to increase strength. Phrenology thrived from 1820-1842 in particular, and people applied phrenology concepts to a large range of their lives, from diagnosing mental illnesses to choosing a future spouse for marriage.
Phrenologists at the time believed that mental health resulted from exercising all areas of the brain daily. If a certain area of the brain was inactive, this was believed to predispose the individual to insanity. Public awareness of brain functions was seen as a crucial component to decreasing the likelihood of insanity in the population.
Phineas Gage’s Accident (1848):
Phineas Gage was a railroad worker who endured a metal rod that went flying through his head after a large explosion in 1848. His physician at the time, Dr. John Harlow, wrote up the case in a way that supported the idea of phrenology, in which the metal rod that went through Gage’s brain passed through the regions of “Benevolence” and “Veneration,” thus altering Gage’s personality. Before the incident, he was known to be quiet and respectful, and afterwards he used more profanity and his friends believed that he was no longer himself.
Sources:
Cherry, Kendra. “The Famous Case of Phineas Gage's Astonishing Brain Injury.” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 3 Oct. 2019, www.verywellmind.com/phineas-gage-2795244.
Rafter, Nicole. “The Murderous Dutch Fiddler: Criminology, History and the Problem of Phrenology - Nicole Rafter, 2005.” SAGE Journals, pp. 78, journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1362480605048943.
“The History of the Saints : or, An Exposé of Joe Smith and Mormonism : Bennett, John Cook, 1804-1867 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming.” Internet Archive, Boston : Leland & Whiting ; New York : Bradbury, Soden, & Co.; [Etc., Etc.], 1 Jan. 1970, archive.org/details/historyofsaintso00benne/page/n16/mode/2up.
Wyhe, John V. “Phrenology Bust c. 1850” Dittrick Medical History Center, Case Western ReserveUniversity, 1995, https://artsci.case.edu/dittrick/online-exhibits/explore-the-artifacts/phrenology-bust-1850/