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].

( 392 )

MESMERIC PHRENOLOGY.

Various phrenologists in England and the United States of America have applied Mesmerism to the individual organs in the brain, and have reported that the organs thus excited became active, and manifested each its proper faculty in words, gestures, and actions, independently of the will of the patient. T have not seen any of these experiments, but I have read the reports of many of them, and received letters from persons (in whose shrewdness, intelligence, and good faith I have confidence) who have witnessed them, and who assure me of their truth. In the words, therefore, of one of my esteemed correspondents, I acknowledge that " the impression left with me is, that it is more difficult to believe that all the parties are deceived or deceivers, than to believe that some of the alleged facts are natural facts."

There appears to be no absurdity in the supposition, that the nervous system of one individual may influence that of another through other channels than the senses. Many of the phenomena reported by magnetisers are not more incredible than similar ones the result of disease. In the present work (vol. ii. p. 202, 224) well authenticated cases of divided consciousness, and of manifestations of the faculties in singular conditions, have been given ; and when we divest the Mesmeric cases of some of the spectators' inferences, which are often largely incorporated in the reports as parts of the facts,-and reject some things which, from being at variance with established truth, do appear to be incredible,- the remaining alleged facts are not so contradictory to experience as many persons suppose. The generation of mental excitement in a large assembly, when addressed by a powerful orator, is equally unaccountable as the communication of Mesmeric influence. Why should mere movements in the air, produced by the speaker's voice, and transmitted, through a series of undulations, to the tympanum of the

MESMERIC PHRENOLOGY. 393

hearer, excite the passions to the highest pitch of energy ? This is as great an enigma as that the brain should be excited by the transmission of some unknown influence by Mesmeric operations. The "orator would in vain attempt to produce the same effect by his eloquence on one individual (unless by nature highly excitable) as on a mass ; and why should numbers increase the effect, seeing that, during the impassioned periods -of the discourse, the individuals composing an audience neither speak to, nor look at, each other, but each hangs with concentrated attention on the speaker ? That some influence is generated by the mass, which extends from individual to individual, and increases the excitement of each, and which is also radiated back from their countenances to the speaker, and has the effect of augmenting the intensity of his mental action, is undeniable ; yet this, if not identical with, bears such a strong similarity to, the alleged Mesmeric aura, that it is difficult to distinguish between them. I am very much disposed, therefore, to adopt the views of the correspondent already alluded to, who expresses his opinions in the following words :—-

" Though unexpected," says he, " the alleged facts of Mesmerism rather go to fill up an acknowledged void in our acquaintance with nature's operations, to-wit, the present inability of explaining that mental influence which human beings (animals generally, indeed) exert on each other by a mere word, or look, or gesture, even without physical touch. This influence is an admitted fact, because long a familiar fact ; yet, if we come to seek an explanation for it, it is as difficult to give a satisfactory one, as it is difficult to explain the facts of the Mesmerists ; and thus, to my thinking, that influence itself seems equally worthy of wonder as are many of the alleged and laughed at facts of the Mesmerists. The two sets of facts appear much on a par-except that one is familiar, the other strange. And, moreover, they support, rather than antagonize, each other.

" Going so far as to admit that a decided influence can be

394 MESMERIC PHRENOLOGY.

exerted by a Mesmerist over the nervous system of others, by certain processes whose modus operandi on the patient is yet unknown,-it does not appear a very wide step (and the step is onward, not aside from the course) to allow that he may influence a part of that system more than the rest. On this ground, when reading Dr Elliotson's report of his experiments on particular organs of the brain, I did not feel disposed to reject all the results as impossibilities, or as things in their own nature too marvellous for trust.

" I found, indeed, considerable difficulty in believing that he (or any operator) could so exactly excite given organs without affecting others. Yet, on his side, the argument must be advanced and allowed, that when we look at the close connexion of the phrenological organs of the brain, the community of their vessels, and the inability of detecting any line to distinguish organs from each other,-when we look at these apparent obstacles, it is as difficult to conceive the spontaneous or natural separate and independent action of the organs, as to conceive their separate excitation by a Mesmerist. In the one case, we see functional manifestation forcing us to the inference that this separate action does occur spontaneously, in answer to internal or external influence. And if, in the other case, the like functional manifestation follows the artificial or Mesmeric influence, how can we deny the connexion, and the possibility of the operator effecting it ?

" So far, then, the alleged facts of the Mesmeric Phrenologists seem to correspond with other acknowledged facts : that is, they present no contradiction to them, and even so much resemble the other acknowledged facts as to admit of being classed with them, and perhaps lead one step farther towards some generalization which may hereafter be received as a law of nature.

*' But, when we come to the asserted excitation of organs of insanity and childishness, we are compelled to pause, and suspect that the spectators have reported their own mental constructions put upon external facts, rather than the mere

MESMERIC PHRENOLOGY. 395

facts. The existence of such organs should be first established, or at least made probable ; for their existence, as it seems to me, would be in contradiction of much past experience, which goes to shew that insanity and childishness are not primitive and distinct functions of special organs, but states of manifestation."

In examining the evidence of facts alleged to exist, it is, in the general case, unnecessary to institute an inquiry into the capacity and other mental characteristics of the individuals who report them, because we are bound to verify the facts themselves by a direct appeal to nature. But there is a striking peculiarity in the evidence offered in support of Mesmerism. Its professors state that some individuals are naturally incapable of mesmerizing, and that others are unsusceptible of Mesmeric influence. It is not in the power of every one, therefore, to ascertain the truth of the facts by direct investigation ; and consequently many persons must form their opinions on the faith of testimony alone. The value of evidence, however, which cannot be tested by every enquirer, must necessarily depend much on the mental character of the individual who reports it ; and therefore, to enable us to form a sound judgment on the subject, we should be informed concerning the age, sex, temperament, education, sphere of life, and cerebral development of both the magnetizer and his subject. This information appears to me to be the more necessary, because I conversed with an educated individual, who, in perfect sincerity, affirmed that he holds communication with supernatural beings ; and I have been informed that a very zealous advocate of Mesmeric Phrenology, in the United States, assures his friends, that, in his natural state, he holds frequent converse with the spirits of his deceased wife and child. I have observed very large organs of Wonder in both of these individuals ; and it is an ascertained fact (see vol, i. p. 452-464), that a predominating development of this organ leads to belief in the real outward existence of objects which to other individuals appear to be merely impressions existing in the mind of the

396 MESMERIC PHRENOLOGY.

person so gifted himself. Many of the advocates and witnesses for Mesmerism, who are known to me, possess large organs of Wonder, and, without entertaining the slightest suspicion of their perfect good faith, I cannot help suspecting, that, through the medium of this organ, the extraordinary nature of the phenomena recommends the phenomena themselves to their acceptance, with slight investigation ; and renders them less careful, both as observers and reporters, than an inquirer not labouring under a similar influence would desire. In this way alone can I account for the looseness and imperfection of the reports ; some of which, without any attempt at explanation, ascribe, to special organs, phenomena which to ordinary reason appear to be negations, or the results of states of the whole brain, or of particular parts of it which have ascertained functions. In America, for instance, an organ of " Insanity" is reported to have been discovered ; which seems analogous to the discovery of an organ of asthma or of indigestion. The information before mentioned is desirable also, as affording the means of discovering whether any constant relation exists between particular temperaments and particular developments of the cerebral organs, and the capability of mesmerizing and of being mesmerized.

In vol. xv. of the Phrenological Journal, pages 188, 349, 304, 314, 354, 317, 326, 339, 365, 373, cases are reported, to which I beg leave to refer the reader ; and also to an instructive paper on Mesmeric Phrenology, by Dr Boardman of New York, in vol. xvi. (April 1843.)

An idea insisted on by some Mesmeric phrenologists, that the phrenological organs, as at present delineated, are groups, is not destitute of support from other known facts. Mr James Milne, for instance (see vol. ii. p. 57), although incapable of distinguishing red from green, discriminates easily blues and yellows. Some individuals have a great talent for learning the spirit of languages, and very little for learning mere words, and vice versa (see vol. ii. p. 131). The first of these facts seems to indicate that there are

MESMERIC PHRENOLOGY. 397

distinct fibres in the organ of Colouring for distinguishing different colours, because the same organ cannot be both capable and incapable of performing its proper functions at the same time. A different explanation has been given of the second fact ; but much obscurity still pervades it, and Dr Gall's opinion that there are two organs of Language may be correct. The supposition that the organs are compound, would serve also in some measure to explain the modified manifestations apparently resulting from the same organ, and the consequent difficulty of finding a common name inclusive of all kinds as well as degrees of manifestation from the now so-called same organ. It is undeniable that the farther the subdivisions are carried, the greater will become the difficulty of proof by physical development ; but in studying Nature we are bound to follow wherever she leads.

Having, as already mentioned, no personal knowledge of the subject, I have hazarded these remarks with the view merely of recommending experiments, and inculcating accuracy in observation and reporting

© John van Wyhe 1999-2011. Materials on this website may not be reproduced without permission except for use in teaching or non-published presentations, papers/theses.

The History of Phrenology on the Web