Buchanan's Journal of Man, October 1887: Volume 1, Number 9
Philosophy
Buchanan's Journal of Man, October 1887: Volume 1, Number 9
Medicine -- Periodicals; Phrenology -- Periodicals; Science -- Periodicals
COMPARATIVE SAGACITY, or Perspicacity, as Gall called it, was a better
term than Comparison, which was introduced by Spurzheim. Direct
perception of truth is its leading character. Illustration by
comparison belongs to the breadth of the forehead, to the Ideal and
Inventive region, and is the characteristic of poetry. Spurzheim's
description, however, is substantially correct. It qualifies for clear
statement, but not for comprehensive or ingenious reasoning. The
portion on the median line has still more penetration, in consequence
of which it perceives the nature and tendencies of everything, and is
enabled to exercise foresight. Still farther in on the median line are
located the powers which are more intuitive, and transcending ordinary
foresight are entitled to be called prophecy.
The CAUSALITY of Spurzheim, or Metaphysical Depth of thought of Gall,
was defined with approximate correctness. The immediate perception of
causation lies just above the organ of Time, and the special organ of
Reason extends therefrom upwards. If the reflective organs of one side
of the forehead are divided into an interior and exterior group by a
vertical line from the pupil of the eye, the interior group would
represent a comprehensive understanding possessing sagacity and
judgment, while the exterior would represent profound ingenious
thought and originality, a capacity for discovering truth by reason
and meditation, by analysis and synthesis, while the interior would
discover it only by direct perception. In the exterior group would be
included the misnamed organ of Wit or Mirthfulness, which is really a
source of philosophy and originality.
TUNE and CONSTRUCTIVENESS have really reversed their positions in the
maps of Spurzheim and Gall. The inventive faculty of musical composers
was what Gall discovered as Music. The sense of Melody and Tune lies
behind the brow in connection with the _sense of hearing_, at the
anterior portion of Sensibility, which forty years after my discovery
is beginning to be recognized in consequence of the experiments of
Ferrier on animals. The organ of hearing which he demonstrated in the
monkey, occupies the same position in the superior temporal
convolution, behind the eye, which I have given it in man, which
brings it into close connection with the organs of Language and Tune.
Its close connection with the region of impressibility called
Somnolence explains its supreme control over our emotions.
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