Phrenology Busts

Regarded by some as a science and others as a scam, phrenology has a long history dating back to the mid 18th Century. While the debate as to the efficacy of phrenology has raged, examinations based on this concept have given birth to phrenology busts. Shaped liked a human head, phrenology busts feature the phrenological chart of the faculties or a map of the brain as felt through the skull.

Now considered a novelty item, phrenology busts make a great decorative item and an equally great conversation piece. Such was not the case in the 1800's when phrenology was considered by many intellectuals and well known personalities of the day to be a breakthrough in understanding human behavior. Now thought to be a pseudo-science, phrenology is treated as a novelty of earlier times and not grounded in modern-day scientific knowledge of the human anatomy.

Advocates of phrenology believed that the human brain was actually a collection of individual organs, each with its own function, controlling various aspects of human behavior. The contours of the skull were thought to reveal in an outward way the inner workings of the brain. Phrenologists were convinced that the outline of the skull mirrored the physical shape of the human brain.

The theory and practice of phrenology was advanced by Franz Joseph Gall, a German medical doctor. While phrenology has been largely discredited as a science, Gall did pose some interesting theories about the human brain. Among some of Gall's reported theories was that the brain was the control center for all human emotion and motor activity. To this extent Gall was proved correct, though his belief that the shape of the human skull could be used to differentiate these activities was proven to be false.

Under the theory of phrenology and reflected in phrenology busts, each section of the brain and skull were assigned various faculties and as such could be definitively interpreted by physically examining the shape of the head. Detailed mapping of the head was used as the basis for courses in phrenology that were quite popular during the early 20th Century. Students were often provided with these phrenology busts of various historic figures purported to be accurate even though some of the phrenology busts were of people from antiquity.

Examples of these study aids included various busts of Caius Julius Caesar leading to obvious skepticism since Julius Caesar reportedly died in 44 BCE. Despite what the skeptics said well known people like Thomas Edison was among other noted scientists and inventors who believed in the general concept of phrenology.

The practice of phrenology and the use of phrenology busts still exist in various parts of the world. Much like the Ouija board, tarot cards and other such devices, the practice of phrenology and the use of phrenology busts is largely considered a novelty.