Thoughts on Man, His Nature, Productions and Discoveries: Interspersed with Some Particulars Respecting the AuthorGodwin, William
Philosophy
Thoughts on Man, His Nature, Productions and Discoveries: Interspersed with Some Particulars Respecting the Author
Godwin, William
Human beings; Psychology -- Early works to 1850
Craniology, or phrenology, proceeds exactly in the same train, as
chiromancy, or any of those pretended sciences which are built merely
on assumption or conjecture. The first delineations presented to the
public, marked out, as I have said, the scull into compartments, in the
same manner as a country delineated on a map is divided into districts.
Geography is a real science, and accordingly, like other sciences, has
been slow and gradual in its progress. At an early stage travellers
knew little more than the shores and islands of the Mediterranean.
Afterwards, they passed the straits of Hercules, and entered into the
Atlantic. At length the habitable world was distributed into three
parts, Europe, Asia, and Africa. More recently, by many centuries, came
the discovery of America. It is but the other day comparatively, that
we found the extensive island of New Holland in the Southern Ocean. The
ancient geographers placed an elephant or some marine monster in the
vacant parts of their maps, to signify that of these parts they knew
nothing. Not so Dr. Gall. Every part of his globe of the human Scull, at
least with small exceptions, is fully tenanted; and he, with his single
arm, has conquered a world.
The majority of the judgments that have been divulged by the professors
of this science, have had for their subjects the sculls of men, whose
habits and history have been already known. And yet with this advantage
the errors and contradictions into which their authors have fallen are
considerably numerous. Thus I find, in the account of the doctor's visit
to the House of Correction and the Hospital of Torgau in July 1805, the
following examples.
"Every person was desirous to know what Dr. Gall would say about T--,
who was known in the house as a thief full of cunning, and who,
having several times made his escape, wore an additional iron. It was
surprising, that he saw in him far less of the organ of cunning, than in
many of the other prisoners. However it was proved, that examples, and
conversation with other thieves in the house, had suggested to him the
plan for his escape, and that the stupidity which he possesses was the
cause of his being retaken."
"We were much surprised to be told, that M., in whom Dr. Gall had
not discovered the organ of representation, possessed extraordinary
abilities in imitating the voice of animals; but we were convinced after
enquiries, that his talent was not a natural one, but acquired by study.
He related to us that, when he was a Prussian soldier garrisoned at
Berlin, he used to deceive the waiting women in the Foundling Hospital
by imitating the voice of exposed infants, and sometimes counterfeited
the cry of a wild drake, when the officers were shooting ducks."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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