Phrenology, and how to use it in analyzing character.

  • Morgan, Nicholas.
Date:
1871
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Phrenology, and how to use it in analyzing character. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

    89/444 (page 67)
    Professor Morton collected the largest number of crania of the different races of man, up to his time, and measured their internal capacities by means of white pepper seeds. These valuable specimens are now in the possession of the Academy of Science, in Philadelphia. The last catalogue of them was published in 1857, under the care of Dr. J. Aitken Meigs, and numbered 1035 specimens. The result of Morton's measurements strictly accorded with Blumenbach's physiog- nomical observations, and placed the races in precisely the same positions in point of size. The Circassian crania measured the largest, the Mongolian second in the descend- ing scale, the Malay third, the American or Red Indian fourth, and the Ethiopian fifth. Dr. Davis has the largest collection of crania of different races of the present day. He published a catalogue of them in 1867, with tables of eighteen different measure- ments. At that time he possessed 1540 specimens; and two years later he had added to his cabinet 150 more.* He measured their internal capacities with dry Calais sand, and he thus sums up the result of his investigations :— As a general deduction, it may be said that the several great divisions of mankind stand in the following order, in reference to the size of their skulls and brains, be- ginning from the lowest and ascending upwards :—Aus- tralian races, general average 817 cubic in., African races, * I had the pleasure of visiting Dr. Davis on December 17th, 1869, and of spending a few pleasant hours with hini in examining his valuable ethnological collection, which then numbered nearly 1700; and I take this opportunity of acknowledging his courtesy and kind endeavours to make my visit as interesting as possible.