Gall, Spurzheim, and the Phrenological Movement: Insights and Perspectives

Franz Joseph Gall's new doctrine of the mind, brain, and behavior in the 1790s challenged the existing view of the brain as a single organ and proposed that there are many independent faculties of mind, each associated with a separate part of the brain. His ideas were controversial and ridiculed, but they led to the modern neurosciences and the faddish movement called 'phrenology'. This volume provides new insights into Gall's thinking and Spurzheim's contributions to the field.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 316 pages
Publication date: 25 September 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Franz Joseph Gall, a German physician, emerged in Vienna during the 1790s with a groundbreaking doctrine that delved into the realms of mind, brain, and behavior. His innovative perspective sought to explain the diverse characteristics of individuals by proposing the existence of numerous independent faculties of the mind, each associated with a specific region of the brain. Gall refined his ideas and disseminated them through two sets of books, which were published after he and his assistant, Johann Gaspar Spurzheim, settled in Paris in 1807.

While Gall's ideas garnered significant support and admiration, they also sparked controversy and unease among others. His belief in the correlation between skull features and underlying cortical organs, known as "bumpology," was particularly ridiculed by his detractors. These ideas about the mind, brain, and behavior sparked global debates and were even exploited by unscrupulous individuals who claimed to "read skulls for a living." However, as some historians have demonstrated, Gall's contributions laid the foundation for the modern neurosciences.

The chapters included in this volume offer fresh perspectives on Gall's thinking and the activities of Spurzheim, as well as the popular movement known as "phrenology," which initially emerged as a scientific study of humankind but later transformed into a form of entertainment. These chapters were originally published in various issues of the Journal of the History of the Neurosciences.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 246 x 174 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367497859