History of Phrenology on the Web

Organs

George Combe's A System of Phrenology, 5th edn, 2 vols. 1853.

Vol. 1: [front matter], Intro, N ervous system, Principles of Phrenology, Anatomy of the brain, Division of the faculties 1.Amativeness 2.Philoprogenitiveness 3.Concentrativeness 4.Adhesiveness 5.Combativeness 6.Destructiveness, Alimentiveness, Love of Life 7.Secretiveness 8.Acquisitiveness 9.Constructiveness 10.Self-Esteem 11.Love of Approbation 12.Cautiousness 13.Benevolence 14.Veneration 15.Firmness 16.Conscientiousness 17.Hope 18.Wonder 19.Ideality 20.Wit or Mirthfulness 21.Imitation.
Vol. 2: [front matter], external senses, 22.Individuality 23.Form 24.Size 25.Weight 26.Colouring 27.Locality 28.Number 29.Order 30.Eventuality 31.Time 32.Tune 33.Language 34.Comparison, General observations on the Perceptive Faculties, 35.Causality, Modes of actions of the faculties, National character & development of brain, On the importance of including development of brain as an element in statistical inquiries, Into the manifestations of the animal, moral, and intellectual faculties of man, Statistics of Insanity, Statistics of Crime, Comparative phrenology, Mesmeric phrenology, Objections to phrenology considered, Materialism, Effects of injuries of the brain, Conclusion, Appendices: No. I, II, III, IV, V, [Index], [Works of Combe].

CONCLUSION.

(To the Second Edition.)

IN the Introduction to this work, it is observed, that, " in surveying the philosophy of man, as at present exhibited to us in the writings of philosophers, we perceive, first, That no account is given of the influence of the material organs on the manifestations of the mental powers ; that the progress of the mind from youth to age, and the phenomena of sleep, dreaming, idiocy, and insanity, are left unexplained or unaccounted for ; secondly, That the existence and functions of some of the most important primitive faculties are still in dispute ; and, thirdly, That no light has been thrown on the nature and effects of combinations of the primitive powers in different degrees of relative proportion. It is, with great truth, therefore, that Monsieur De Bonald, quoted

VOL. II. Dd

418 CONCLUSION.

by Mr Stewart, observes, that " diversity of doctrine has increased from age to age, with the number of masters, and with the progress of knowledge ; and Europe, which at present possesses libraries filled with philosophical works, and which reckons up almost as many philosophers as writers ; poor in the midst of so much riches, and uncertain, with the aid of all its guides, which road it should follow ; Europe, the centre and focus of all the lights of the world, has yet its philosophy only in expectation."

May I hope that Phrenology will appear to the attentive reader calculated to supply the deficiency here pointed out, and to furnish Europe, at last, with the Philosophy so long in expectation ?

Hitherto the writings of Dr Gall have been little known to the British public, except through the medium of hostile reviews ; and the most unmeasured ridicule and abuse have been poured out against them, as if they were a disgrace to the century in which they were produced : His fellow-labourer Dr Spurzheim has sustained an equal share of this unmerited storm. In preparing the present volume for the press, I have drawn largely from the works of both of these authors ; in many instances I have compared their statements of fact with nature, sifted their arguments, and weighed deliberately their conclusions ; and I now feel it an imperative duty to state, that the present generation has, in my humble judgment, re-acted, in their cases, the scenes which have attached so deep a stigma to the ages of Galileo and Harvey. The discoveries of the revolution of the globe, and the circulation of the blood, were splendid displays of genius, interesting and beneficial to mankind ; but their results, compared with the consequences which must inevitably follow from Dr Gall's discovery of the functions of the brain (embracing, as it does, the true theory of the animal, moral, and intellectual constitution of man), sink into relative insignificance. Looking forward to the time when the real nature and ultimate effects of Dr Gall's discovery shall be fully recognised. I cannot entertain a doubt that posterity will

CONCLUSION. 41

manifest as eager a desire to render honour to his memory, as his contemporaries have shewn to treat himself with indignity and contempt. If the present work shall tend in any degree to rouse the public attention to his merits, and to excite the philosophers of England to do him justice ere he die, it will accomplish one great end of its publication. Let them at last lay aside the prejudice which has so long kept them back from looking with their own eyes into his works, and from appealing, with the lights which he affords, to Nature, as the standard by which to try the merits of his pretensions. If they will examine, they will find that a fortunate thought opened up to him a vast region of discovery, and that he has displayed gigantic powers in prosecuting it to its results ; that, instead of being an ignorant pretender to knowledge, he is a man of profound and solid erudition ; that, so far from being a reckless theorist, he is the most stubborn adherent to fact that has perhaps ever appeared in the annals of mental philosophy ; and that, instead of being characterized by a weak understanding and bewildered imagination, he manifests an intellect at once profound, regulated, and comprehensive.

Dr Spurzheim's works and lectures have rendered him better known in this country, and the force of truth has for some years been operating in his favour. No reviewer would now reckon it creditable, to use the terms so unceremoniously applied to him in 1815 ; but a great debt of respect and gratitude remains to be paid by Britain and the world to Dr Spurzheim. The great discovery of Phrenology, and the announcement of many of its applications, unquestionably belong to Dr Gall ; but to Dr Spurzheim is due the praise of early appreciating its importance, and of fearlessly dedicating his life to the enlargement of its boundaries and the dissemination of its principles, at a time when neither honour nor emolument, but on the contrary obloquy and censure, were bestowed on its adherents. In admiring the science as it now appears, it becomes us to recollect also, that we owe much of its excellence and interest to this gifted individual. He has

420 conclusion.

enriched it with valuable anatomical discoveries, ascertained the functions of several highly important organs, shed over it the lights of a refined and analytic philosophy, and pointed out important fields of its application. With profound gratitude and respect, therefore, I acknowledge myself indebted to him for the greatest gift which it was possible for one individual to confer on another,-a knowledge of the true Philosophy of Man.

To the Reverend David Welsh, Mr W. Scott, Mr Simpson, Mr Lyon, and Dr Andrew Combe, fellow-labourers with me in Phrenology, I owe many obligations. In availing myself freely of the lights which they have struck out, it has been my constant wish to acknowledge the source of my information ; but if amidst the habitual interchange of ideas with which they have honoured me, their views have, in any instance, been amalgamated with my own thoughts, and their authors forgotten, I solicit their forgiveness, assuring them that inadvertency alone has been the cause of any such mistakes.

EDINBURGH, October 1825.

POSTSCRIPT TO THE THIRD EDITION.

SINCE the foregoing observations were written, Dr Gall has been numbered with the dead. Like many other benefactors of mankind, he has died without his merits being acknowledged, or rewarded, by the " great in literature and science" of his own age ; but he possessed the consciousness of having presented to the world one of the most valuable discoveries that ever graced the annals of philosophy, and enjoyed the delight of having opened up to mankind a career of improvement, physical, moral, and intellectual, to which the boldest imagination can at present prescribe no limits.

CONCLUSION. 421

This appears to be the reward which Providence assigns to men eminently gifted with intellectual superiority ; and we may presume that it is wisely suited to their nature. A great duty remains for posterity to perform to the memory of Dr Gall, and I cannot entertain a doubt that in due time it will be amply discharged.

It gives me the greatest satisfaction to renew, after five years' additional experience, the acknowledgment of my highest gratitude and esteem for Dr Spurzheim ; and to express my earnest wish that Britain may, by suitable encouragement, retain him permanently to herself.

EDINBURGH, October 1830.

POSTSCRIPT TO THE FOURTH EDITION.

it is painful in no ordinary degree now to speak of Dr Spurzheim in the past tense ; but since the third edition of this work was printed, he too has been called away. He died at Boston, U. S. on the 10th of November 1832, while zealously engaged in communicating the invaluable truths of Phrenology to a people in every respect worthy of the doctrine, and of the man who came among them to teach it. The citizens of Boston, and of the United States generally, justly appreciated the talents and moral worth of this excellent philosopher. They honoured him while alive, gave him a public funeral, and erected a beautifully appropriate monument to his memory in Auburn Cemetery. In ex* pressing my heartfelt sorrow for his loss, I render a sincere tribute of respect and gratitude to them for the kindness with which they received him, and the honour with which they enshrined his mortal remains.

EDINBURGH, 31st October 1836,

422 CONCLUSION.

POSTSCRIPT TO THE FIFTH EDITION.

SINCE the 31st October 1836, I have visited Germany, and the United States of North America, and have endeavoured to multiply my observations, and also to correct the views, and to enlarge the number of facts, published in the former editions of this work. It remains with the reader to judge how far I have been successful.

EDINBURGH, 31st March 1843.

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The History of Phrenology on the Web