Franz Joseph Gall (1758-1828) was always a controversial figure, as
was his doctrine, later called phrenology. Although often portrayed
as a discredited buffoon, who believed he could assess a person's
strengths and weaknesses by measuring cranial bumps, he was, in
fact, a serious physician-scientist, who strove to answer timely
questions about the mind, brain, and behavior. In many ways a
remarkable visionary, his seminal ideas would become tenets of
modern behavioral neuroscience. Among other things, he was the
first scientist to promote publicly the idea of specialized
cortical areas for diverse higher functions, while taking
metaphysics out of his new science of mind. Moreover, although he
obviously placed too much emphasis on "tell-tale" skull features
(mistakenly believing that the cranium faithfully reflects the
features of underlying brain areas), he fully understood the
strength of "convergent operations," conducting neuroanatomical,
developmental, cross-species, gender-comparison, and brain-damage
studies on both humans and animals in his attempts to unravel the
mysteries of brain organization. Rather than looking upon Gall's
"organology" as one of science's great mistakes, this book provides
a fresh look at the man and his doctrine. The authors delve into
his motives, what was known about the brain during the 1790s, and
the cultural demands of his time. Gall is rightfully presented as
an early-19th-century biologist, anthropologist, philosopher, and
physician with an inquisitive mind and a challenging agenda-namely,
how to account for species and individual differences in behavior.
In this well-researched book, readers learn why, starting as a
young physician in Vienna and continuing his life's work in Paris,
he chose to study the mind and the brain, why he employed his
various methods, why he relied so heavily on cranial features, and
why he wrote what he did in his books. Frequently using Gall's own
words, they show his impact in various domains, including his
approach to the insane and criminals, before concluding with his
final illness and more lasting legacy.
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