When Phrenology was a Legit Science

By | November 20, 2018

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In the early 19th century, peaking between 1810 and 1840, the science of phrenology was considered to be fact-based, cutting-edge science. Phrenology was the study and measurement of a person’s skull as an indicator of intelligence, personality and character. Phrenology, in fact, reinforced racial and gender bias and even declared people criminals or mentally ill based on a certain skull. We have come a long way in our understanding that brainpower is not controlled by the size and shape of the skull. 

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The World War I veteran's home sponsored Phrenology Booth at a fair. London, Ohio, Summer 1938. (Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

The Brain was Compartmentalized

Phrenology was developed around 1796 by Franz Joseph Gall, a German doctor. Phrenologists believed that the human brain was comprised of multiple areas or modules and that each one was responsible for a different aspect of the person’s thoughts, emotions, character, personality and intelligence. The skull, Gall thought, was like a glove that molded to fit its contents. Therefore, noting the bumps and shape of the skull could give insight into the contents of the skull…the brain. Gall set out to map these different areas to create a phrenology chart.