Phrenology Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Phrenology Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is primarily a novel about a man’s trip to the African Congo and the horrors he encounters while there. However Conrad’s novel is also a story of its time and therefore makes mention of the theories held when it was written. Included in these ideas is that of phrenology and its relatives, mentioned clearly when the doctor examining Marlow asks, â€Å"[may I] measure your head?† and the doctor then produces â€Å"a thing like calipers and [gets] the dimensions back and front and every way...† (p. 13). The following will provide a description of Phrenology and its implications. A pseudo-science developed by Austrian physician Franz Joseph Gall in the early 1800s, Phrenology is in its most basic form the study of the morphology of the human skull and its relation to human character. Gall’s â€Å"doctrine of Phrenology† (www.134.184.33.110/phreno/) is based upon five key principles, which were first presented in his work The Anatomy and Physiology of the Nervous System in General, and of the Brain in Particular. First, it is understood that man’s â€Å"moral and intellectual faculties† are innate† (Sabattini, R) and that their expression depends on how the brain is organized. Secondly, he proposed that the brain is the organ responsible for all inclinations, emotions and abilities. Thirdly he stated that the brain is composed of many different â€Å"organs† (Sabattini, R.) with each one being responsible for a certain human function. He also proposed that the size of these â€Å"organs† is directly related to th e amount of their presence and use in specific pers! ons. And finally, he suggested that the external morphology of the skull directly expresses the internal structure of the brain and that the â€Å"relative ... ... While Gall was incorrect in theorizing that the external skull reflects the personality and tendencies of an individual, he was surprisingly correct and in fact pioneered the idea that specific human functions and emotions are related to specific regions of the brain. His way of coming to this conclusion was scientifically incorrect but the implications of this idea helped modern science discover the idea of cerebral localization that is present today. Sources http://pages.britishlibrary.net/phrenology A comprehensive site which includes phrenology charts, photographs of key figures in the development of phrenology as well as a thorough overview of the science. www.epub.org.br/cm/n01/frenolog/frenologia.com A site designed by Dr. Renato M.E. Sabatini which gives a basic overview of the science and provides wonderful links to other sites on phrenology.