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LETTER 
 
 ON 
 
 THE PREJUDICES OF THE GREAT IN SCIENCE 
 
 AND PHILOSOPHY 
 
 AGAINST 
 
 PHRENOLOGY; 
 
 ADDRESSED TO 
 
 THE EDITOR 
 
 OF 
 
 THE EDINBURGH WEEKLY JOURNAL. 
 
 u All the arguments that can be used will be as little able to prevail as the 
 " wind did with the traveller to part with his cloak, which he held only the 
 
 faster." — Locke* 
 
 BY GEORGE COMBE. 
 
 1$ 
 
 EDINBURGH : 
 
 JOHN ANDERSON, JUN., 55, NORTH BRIDGE STREET; 
 AND SIMPKIN & MARSHALL, LONDON. 
 
 1829. 
 

LETTER 
 
 TO THE 
 
 EDITOR OP THE EDINBURGH WEEKLY JOURNAL. 
 
 Sir, 
 You may be surprised why I should have selected your 
 notice of Phrenology as the subject of a reply, and in such a 
 tone as is taken in this Letter. There are three reasons,— 
 First, In a short answer to Mr Stone's elaborate production, 
 I had ventured to describe you as having relinquished your 
 hostility to Phrenology, at a time when, as it oddly happen* 
 ed, you were about to resume it. Secondly, Your criticism 
 affords a good opportunity of addressing some observations 
 to the public, for whom this Letter is principally intended. 
 Thirdly, I have much respect for your character, and you 
 are generally understood to represent, on many subjects, the 
 sentiments of the " greatest 1 ' literary character of the age. 
 The common attacks of vanity and petulance sink into 
 oblivion as rapidly as they are given forth ; but when you 
 speak gravely and at length on a solemn topic, you, from 
 your known candour, are listened to with merited attention. 
 This Letter, therefore, is a tribute of sincere esteem ; and 
 while I scruple not to " utter my thoughts" with the free- 
 dom of one who knows that he is addressing an enlightened 
 and candid mind, I trust that no expression will follow 
 which even malice itself shall be able to construe into per- 
 sonal hostility or disrespect ; nor am I without hope of mak- 
 ing a favourable impression even upon yourself. 
 
 The errors which it appears to me you have committed 
 
LETTER TO THE EDITOR OP 
 
 
 shall be frankly exposed ; but it is proper to state at the very 
 threshold, that I attach no demerit to you for treating Phre- 
 nology with habitual neglect. You have your own pursuits, 
 which occupy your time, as you naturally conceive, to far 
 greater advantage ; and, besides, I am not so extravagant as 
 to expect that all the world should study Phrenology any 
 more than that they should become profound mathemati- 
 cians, chemists, or anatomists. I blame no person for avoid- 
 ing this inquiry, or treating it lightly. Individuals have an 
 undoubted right to please their own tastes in their studies ; 
 and while they confine themselves to simple neglect, they do 
 not suffer any diminution even in my esteem. There is a 
 positive pleasure, and great practical advantage, in being ac- 
 quainted with Phrenology, the want of which is the natural, 
 and therefore a sufficient, penalty incurred by those who refuse 
 to listen to its pretensions. But you pronounce judgment on 
 what the Phrenologists have done, as if you knew all that they 
 had accomplished. Placed iu a situation of authority, and in- 
 vested with some influence over public opinion, you first an- 
 nounce what is most true, that * you have never studied the 
 subject very deeply ;" and then, forgetting this statement, 
 you, in a few sentences afterwards, denounce the evidence as 
 insufficient, as if you were acquainted with its nature and 
 extent. This affords just matter of complaint ; because 
 you give rise to erroneous impressions, and, so far as your 
 authority goes, foster prejudice and avert inquiry. 
 
 That you have not studied very deeply is farther proved 
 by your falling into the snare which Mr Stone has laid for 
 all Anti-Phrenologists. You have been captivated by his 
 " Observations,* which, nevertheless, are so palpably ridicu- 
 lous, that no man who understands the first elements of Phren- 
 ology, who has seriously examined twenty casts or skulls in 
 his life, or who has used his eyes in comparing Mr Stone's 
 statements with nature, could have been deceived by them. 
 Of all this I shall very shortly satisfy yourself. It is easy 
 for Mr Stone to mistify the public mind with measurements, 
 
THE EDINBURGH WEEKLY JOURNAL. 
 
 5 
 
 and decimals, and assertions without foundation ; but the eye 
 and the hand will, in five minutes, refute a volume of such lu- 
 cubrations. Now, I affirm without fear of contradiction, and 
 I am ready to demonstrate to your own senses, whenever you 
 shall intimate a desire to be informed, that there is a great and 
 palpable difference between the heads of executed criminals 
 and those of virtuous men, and between the heads of Burke 
 and Hare in particular and those of men of opposite disposi- 
 tions ; and that these differences extend not to inappreciable 
 and evanescent quantities, but to palpable bulk in given direc- 
 tions, which cannot puzzle any inquirer who is willing to per- 
 ceive length, breadth, and thickness. All this evidence was pa- 
 tent in the Phrenological Hall to you and every one else whom 
 Mr Stone addressed ; and it was impossible to compare his state- 
 ments with nature without perceiving their fallacy. But you 
 did not consider it necessary to take this trouble. You were 
 quite ready to believe self-evident absurdities against Phre- 
 nology ; for example, that Hare's three organs of Destruc- 
 tiveness, Benevolence, and Conscientiousness, were larger than 
 his whole head. This nonsense, from the language of praise 
 which you have employed, you have credited on Mr Stone's 
 bare assertion ; while you have not deigned to employ your own 
 senses, lest they should convince you that Phrenology is true. 
 
 Even at this early stage I must remark farther, that you 
 have contented yourself with adducing, in a vague and feeble 
 manner, but yet as triumphant, objections which, in the phre- 
 nological works, have not only been stated more forcibly than 
 by yourself, but also been examined and answered. You and 
 others, it is possible, may think the answers not sufficient ; 
 but, until you had fully considered and obviated them, you 
 were not at liberty to assume an air of victory, and re-state 
 the objections as if they had been entirely new. This is a 
 topic which will be recurred to. 
 
 No multitude of facts, and no force of evidence, can possi- 
 bly operate on those who pursue such a course, — who shut 
 their eyes and close their understandings against conviction ; 
 
6 
 
 LETTER TO THE EDITOR OP 
 
 and this is what the " great in science and philosophy 11 and 
 their followers have done in all ages, and are now doing. 
 The great men of Harvey 's day died before the circulation of 
 the blood was admitted to be true ; and so must the great men 
 of this generation expire before the functions of the brain 
 shall be recognized as ascertained. 
 
 On the subject of the evidence of Phrenology it is interest- 
 ing to remark, that regarding one fact your means of infor- 
 mation were complete. You sent your own son to a Phre- 
 nologist, who examined his head, and gave you a written 
 sketch of his natural talents and dispositions. Now, how 
 did this experiment tell in regard to the truth of the doc- 
 trines ? You are known to possess a fair and candid mind, — 
 so much of Conscientiousness, in short, that you are incapa- 
 ble knowingly of withholding justice even from a Phrenolo- 
 gist; and, accordingly, the imperative calls of truth have, in 
 this instance, fairly overcome the inveterate prejudices which, 
 on other points of this controversy, have obscured your natu- 
 rally equitable judgment. You say, — " A gentleman, who was 
 
 " no believer in Phrenology, but had yet been startled from time to 
 " time with well-authenticated instances appearing to substan- 
 u tiate its pretensions, sent his son, a boy betwixt eleven and 
 <e twelve, to a Phrenologist of skill, in order that his cranium 
 " might be examined, and its developments compared with his 
 " actual disposition and character. The father was of opinion, 
 " that this would go far to decide the value of Phrenology, at 
 u least to his own conviction, the boy's character being of a sin- 
 u gularly mixed nature, the most distinct or rather opposite 
 qualities appearing to thrive in it with equal strength and 
 luxuriancy, while they were in no respect indicated by his 
 countenance, which, though rather handsome, was any thing 
 " but strongly marked. It was the common-place ruddy coun- 
 " tenance of a pretty boy, which was calculated to throw no 
 Cf light whatever upon either the talents or the moral qualities 
 " of the subject ; and it should be premised, that the phrenolo- 
 " gical artist was altogether ignorant of these. The result was 
 " as follows : — A paper was returned to the father, shortly after 
 " the examination, of a nature not extremely flattering, nor alto- 
 u gether discouraging. Shortly afterwards the boy was invited 
 " to reside for some time in a family, the heads of which are dis- 
 " tinguished for their intellectual attainments; and by whom the 
 " most pointed attention was paid to the investigation of his 
 
 cc 
 cc 
 
 a 
 
THE EDINBURGH WEEKLY JOURNAL. 7 
 
 " character, and the cultivation of his mind. A report was pe- 
 cc riodically made to the father of his son's progress in all re- 
 " spects ; and in a short time it was distinctly ascertained, that 
 <e every quality, bad and good, as well as most of his tastes, 
 " predilections, and partialities — some of which were bizarre 
 " enough — had been exhibited exactly, in manner and degree, 
 " as they had been described and anticipated by the Phrenolo- 
 " gist. We are aware that there is little in this account to dis- 
 €f tinguish it from many others that are stated to occur in phre- 
 " nological investigations. But, from the general tenor of this 
 " article, it will be seen that we are no converts to Phrenology ; 
 u and therefore the above statement has a title to be received 
 " with implicit confidence in its truth, however it may be ac- 
 ee counted for, or whatever weight may be given to it." 
 
 With this fact falling within the scope of your own expe- 
 rience, you, nevertheless, observe, — u We are inclined to 
 u look with some suspicion on the very rapid growth and 
 " sudden maturity of Phrenology. Every other science has 
 " had a long infancy and very slow growth. A mushroom 
 " springs up in a night, and dies in a day or two ; the growth 
 a of an oak is hardly perceptible in a course of years, and it 
 cc stands, in strength and vigour, for ages. Such seems to be 
 " the difference between the growth and duration of spurious 
 u and real science. With these views of the present state of 
 " Phrenology, (whatever its future state may be,) it appears to 
 u us to be the height of infatuation to take it as a guide in the 
 " most important concerns of human life. If it is % not positively 
 u an ignis fatuus — a will-o'-the-wisp — (which there is some rea- 
 " son to apprehend is its true character), it is at all events a 
 " glimmering, feeble, and uncertain light, — a mere darkness vi- 
 " sible. And yet we see affectionate fathers and fond mo- 
 " thers sporting with the destinies of their children, by educating 
 u them according to a set of principles, which, for any thing yet 
 " proved to the contrary, may be as fantastic as those of alchyray 
 " or animal magnetism." 
 
 The observation, that " every other science has had a long 
 " infancy, and very slow growth," is absolutely contradicted 
 by the history of philosophical discovery. The doctrine of 
 the circulation of the blood was as completely demonstrated 
 by Harvey as it is at the present day. It was matured by 
 himself. In like manner, Newton's theory of planetary mo- 
 tion was almost complete as it emanated from his own mind. 
 No principle which he announced as established has ever been 
 overturned, and the additions which have since been made to 
 his discoveries are extremely unimportant. La Place and some 
 
8 
 
 LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF 
 
 other astronomers have explained phenomena which he left in 
 the condition of anomalies ; but they have done so by bringing 
 them fairly within the scope of his philosophy, and not by cor- 
 recting errors which he had committed. Sciences of obser- 
 vation, such as chemistry, natural history, and geology, in 
 which the objects are numerous and complicated, grow slowly 
 by successive additions from generation after generation ; but 
 all sciences depending on a single great principle have ad- 
 vanced to maturity with rapidity, whenever that principle has 
 been fairly discovered. Now, Phrenology belongs to this 
 class. The grand principles are, that the brain is a congeries 
 of organs manifesting a plurality of faculties, and that the 
 size of an organ, other conditions being equal, is an index to 
 the power of the faculty. This assertion may be proved or 
 refuted in a week by an active and acute observer. When 
 in Dublin, I visited the asylum for incurable pauper luna- 
 tics, and on pointing out nearly twenty idiots, whose brains 
 were extremely deficient in size, but in whom no trace of 
 diseased structure appeared, - the individuals who accompa- 
 nied me acknowledged that it was not necessary to go far- 
 ther to discover the effects of size in the brain on the mental 
 manifestations. The brain, therefore, is neither so large, the 
 organs so complicated, nor are opportunities for observation 
 so few, as to render it either impossible or difficult for a 
 man of a powerful and active mind, who has discovered the 
 true method of studying its functions, (for a great deal de- 
 pends on this,) to establish in thirty years the grand outline 
 of its physiology. Phrenologists do not pretend that their 
 science is perfect ; but you insinuate that it has not even a 
 foundation, and thereby deprive Dr Gall of the honour that 
 is unquestionably his, and represent the subject as an illusion. 
 The same consideration affords another answer to your se- 
 vere remarks against " affectionate fathers and fond mo- 
 " thers sporting with the destinies of their children, by edu- 
 " eating them according to phrenological principles." What 
 should we think now of a critic who should condemn Har- 
 
THE EDINBURGH WEEKLY JOURNAL. 9 
 
 vey's first convert for having treated his patients on principles 
 founded on the reality of the circulation of the blood ? A 
 natural truth is a truth at all times, whether recognized by 
 men's intellects, obscured by their ignorance, or opposed and 
 denied by their prejudices. The blood circulated in the ar- 
 teries of the very men who employed the vigour resulting 
 from that circulation in denying its existence ; and the brain 
 is performing its functions in yourself and the other indivi- 
 duals who most zealously decry them. From the moment when 
 a natural truth is discovered it becomes available ; and it is a 
 weak mind which perceives that nature gives forth the foun- 
 tain, and which yet fears to embark on the stream. It would 
 not be wise in you, who have u never studied the subject very 
 deeply," to set about educating your children on your own 
 crude and mistaken impressions of what Phrenology really 
 is ; but it is equally preposterous in you to stigmatize as 
 visionaries the " affectionate fathers and fond mothers" who 
 have studied Phrenology deeply, recognized its truth, and 
 experienced its practical utility in education, for applying it 
 in that manner, merely because it has not yet received the 
 superscription of the great. On the subject of education, 
 the " great in science and philosophy" may shade their brows, 
 and stand mute before the world. The day is not far dis- 
 tant when the meagerness of their achievements in this de- 
 partment of usefulness will be duly estimated ; meantime the 
 fact is certain, that there are fathers and mothers, whose 
 attainments and good sense will bear an advantageous com- 
 parison with those of the opponents of Phrenology, who for 
 years have educated their children by the lights of this 
 science, and who already have experienced a great reward in 
 its beneficial effects. 
 
 And, after all, what do you conceive a phrenological educa- 
 tion to mean ? In the very instance you quote, you show that a 
 Phrenologist has given a most particular and accurate ana- 
 lysis of the mental character of your son. Now, is this of no 
 utility in education? Suppose the Phrenologists who em- 
 
 B 
 
10 
 
 LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF 
 
 ploy their lights in education to be equally successful in 
 discovering the characters of their own children, ought they 
 to disregard this knowledge, because it has been obtained 
 through the medium of Phrenology ? The Phrenologist, hav- 
 ing discovered the talents and dispositions of his children, en- 
 deavours to curb the passions that are too powerful, to foster 
 the principles that are too weak, to direct each faculty to its 
 proper objects, and, above all, to inculcate practically the 
 doctrine that intelligence and virtue, love to God, shown in 
 obedience to his laws, and charity to man, are the noblest at- 
 tributes of humanity. This is phrenological education, and 
 it is this which you blame parents for carrying into practice. 
 You have favoured your readers with your impressions of 
 Phrenology, founded avowedly on very imperfect informa- 
 tion. Permit me to cite, as a contrast, the testimony of a 
 newspaper, whose editor, previously to inquiry, showed hos- 
 tility equal, if not superior, to your own. After the con- 
 clusion of my late lectures in Dublin, the following notice 
 appeared, in the usual editorial form, in the Dublin Evening 
 Mail of 4th May, 1829 :— 
 
 " Mr Combe has just finished his course of lectures in this city. 
 f€ Speculations of this nature are, it may be said, quite new to the 
 €i Irish public. The subject, until lately, was hardly ever raen- 
 " tioned even in private society ; and whenever the unhappy 
 " Phrenologist was bold enough to advance opinions which he at 
 u least felt convinced were based upon experiment and reason, the 
 u best reception he had to expect was the quiet smile of contempt 
 (C or incredulity. No sympathizing friend was to be found for 
 t€ whose supporting voice the unfortunate disciple of Gall might 
 <c look, and Phrenology was unhesitatingly classed with animal 
 " magnetism, alchymy, and astrology. It required no incon- 
 u siderable share of firmness in the person who should venture 
 (C publicly to advocate a doctrine so despised, who, in the face 
 " of an intelligent and educated audience, should attempt to sup- 
 fe port, by adequate examples and arguments, not only that Phre- 
 " nology was not false, but that it was amongst the most import- 
 " ant truths that have ever been discovered by the human intel- 
 " lect. This task Mr Combe had the courage to undertake, and 
 " his endeavours have been crowned with the most complete 
 u success. The lectures from the first were attended by a most 
 " respectable class, both as to number and intelligence. As the 
 ' • subject became more developed, and the talents of the lecturer 
 
 
THE EDINBURGH WEEKLY JOURNAL. 11 
 
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 better known, the public interest increased in a rapid propor- 
 u tion. Many, who had never before thought on the subject, 
 ' were induced to attend from motives either of instruction or 
 amusement, and few could leave the lecture-room without car- 
 rying away some impressions of the importance of the science, 
 so numerous and varied were the facts and arguments which 
 ' Mr Combe's well-stored mind enabled him each day to bring 
 to bear upon the subject under discussion. 
 
 All through this extensive and arduous course, the illustra- 
 tions were most happily chosen, the facts clearly and simply 
 <( laid down, and the reasonings founded upon them acute and 
 convincing. We thought Mr Combe peculiarly happy in his 
 method of treating the intellectual faculties ; and in his refu- 
 " tation of the objections urged against Phrenology, he evi- 
 dently felt himself on strong ground. The concluding lecture 
 must have come home to the heart of every one present. Who 
 u does not recognize that the time is at hand when we are to 
 rescue our children from the evils of a partial and often mis- 
 directed education ? What parent does not feel grateful to the 
 philosopher who points the way to better things ; who shows 
 " him that the present painful system of confining all minds, 
 " however various, to one sole pursuit, has no foundation either 
 in reason or nature; who tells him that all the faculties which 
 he sees budding in his child require his fostering hand, and 
 that, if duly nurtured, all will reach that standard of excellence 
 cc whichthe Creator has fixed as their limit ? Who can look with 
 <c an indifferent eye on the man who tells us, even with plausi- 
 bility only, that society can be most materially amended, not 
 by additional severity, not by the scaffold and the guillotine, 
 but solely by following those laws which God has wisely im- 
 pressed on man's nature, and beneficently put in his power to 
 discover for our guidance. Surely such a man deserves the 
 " thanks and the blessings of his fellow-men. Surely the science 
 ff which he advocates demands a serious and impartial examina- 
 " tion. If false, it is at worst but the dream of benevolence ; 
 if true, it is the most blessed vision that human intelligence has 
 ever opened to the world. 
 
 The great applause which Mr Combe received at the close 
 " of his labours, considering the intellectual rank of those from 
 " whom it came, could not but be grateful to his feelings.* 
 
 (C We understand that the casts used as illustrations by Mr 
 " Combe have been purchased by subscription, and are to re- 
 " main in town, which will give those interested in the study an 
 < c opportunity of keeping up or improving their knowledge* 
 
 * The audience was composed of medical practitioners of the first eminence, 
 lawyers of rank and intelligence, fellows of Trinity College, ministers of reli- 
 gion, and other individuals capable, by their talents and attainments, of form- 
 ing a sound judgment on any subject submitted to their consideration. 
 
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12 
 
 LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF 
 
 u Should the consequence be the formation of a Phrenological 
 " Society, we must say that for our parts we heartily wish it 
 €< success. Such points of union are wanted in Dublin, and we 
 " think the acuteness of observation so well known to be inhe- 
 u rent in the Irish character, offers the most favourable augury 
 " of phrenological success. Should Mr Combe's professional 
 " pursuits admit of his visiting this country at any future pe- 
 " riod, we venture to predict that he will find he has not be- 
 " stowed his labours on an ungrateful soil." 
 
 Weigh this testimony with your own, and I leave to your 
 own mind to decide which is entitled to the highest consi- 
 deration. In one science you are eminently skilled, — viz. in 
 that of music, — and I would ask whether you are not in the 
 habit of treating lightly the criticisms of persons who obvi- 
 ously " have never studied it deeply ?" Why then should 
 all rational rules of judgment be reversed in the case of 
 Phrenology, and the opinions of the wholly ignorant, the 
 half-informed, and of every petulant pretender to scientific 
 accuracy who opposes it, be regarded as oracular decisions 
 on its merits ? Why should the eyes of the conductors of the 
 press be shut against the testimony of nature, and their ears 
 closed against the voice of individuals who have dedicated 
 their talents to the study and elucidation of this subject ? 
 Only one answer can be returned to this question. This is 
 the doing of prejudice, and not the result of reason ; and were 
 it not for such misrepresentations as those daily committed 
 by a prejudiced press, the public would be in favour of, in- 
 stead of being against, the advocates of Phrenology. 
 
 But it is now time to enter upon the more specific business 
 of this communication. In a note to p. 13 it is said, that 
 IC the Editor of the Weekly Journal appears fairly to have 
 " given up his hostility. 1 ' This remark was printed on 19th 
 May, and was founded on your silence for several years on 
 the doctrines in question. Your paper of Wednesday, 20th 
 May, however, contained two columns and a half in praise 
 of Mr Stoned pamphlet and in depreciation of Phrenology, 
 and I now apologize for having supposed that you had be- 
 come neutral ; I must acknowledge you again as an opponent, 
 
THE EDINBURGH WEEKLY JOURNAL. 
 
 13 
 
 and wish you all the honour and success which ought to 
 reward talent engaged in such a cause. 
 
 It is the fashion in what you call the circle " of great 
 " weight in science and philosophy" to scoff at Phrenology, 
 and talk slightingly of its pretensions ; but men's actions 
 will sometimes betray the real condition of their minds 
 when they strive most by their words to conceal them. The 
 extreme readiness with which the editors of the Edinburgh 
 newspaper press, with few exceptions,, have fallen into the 
 snare laid for them, although not designedly, by Mr Stone, 
 — the large space which they have afforded in their crowded 
 columns, at a busy season, for his lucubrations, — their sys- 
 tematic exclusion of every thing calculated to place before 
 the public mind either the facts or the arguments which are 
 constantly appearing in favour of Phrenology, lift the veil, 
 and prove to demonstration that their indifference is affected. 
 By this conduct they indicate a consciousness, that if Phre- 
 nology be a great and valuable discovery, they have acted 
 an unworthy part towards it, and have taken their place 
 among those opponents of truth, against whom the voice of 
 posterity is uniformly directed with the heaviest denuncia- 
 tions. Disguise the matter as they will, this feeling is at the 
 bottom of their proceedings. If Phrenology be the exposi- 
 tion of the true functions of the brain, and of the real phi- 
 losophy of mind, it obviously carries consequences of the 
 greatest magnitude in its train. It will not remove the mys- 
 tery which hangs over the connexion betwixt mind and mat- 
 ter, — betwixt that which thinks and that which does not 
 think ; but it has opened up new and most important views 
 of the manner in which the corporeal and mental constitutions 
 of man influence, or act and re-act, on each other; and Dr 
 Gall's name will, in consequence, stand second to none that 
 has hitherto graced the annals of scientific discovery. This 
 is the position which the advocates of Phrenology claim for 
 Dr Gall, who is now consigned to the grave. For themselves, 
 they aspire only to the humble merit of appreciating a great 
 
14 
 
 LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF 
 
 truth, and defending it against the prejudices of the ignorant, 
 the learning of the wise, the ridicule of the flippant, and the 
 gross misrepresentations of the envious and dishonest. Let 
 the supporters and opponents of Phrenology, therefore, assume 
 their appropriate places. If Dr Gall has not discovered the 
 functions of the brain, and founded true mental philosophy, 
 let his name, and the names of all his followers, be held up 
 as the scorn and by-words of the present and future gene- 
 rations, until mankind, become weary with contemplating 
 their folly, shall consign them to oblivion, as the most 
 forcible expression of their contempt. But, on the other 
 hand, if he has made such a contribution to human know- 
 ledge as entitles him to be ranked as the equal of Galileo, 
 Harvey, and Newton, the other alternative is equally inevi- 
 table ; his present detractors and opponents will be com- 
 pelled to take their station along with those individuals who 
 obstructed the discoveries, denied the merits, and imbittered 
 the lives of these illustrious men, whom posterity delights to 
 honour. It is the secret conviction that there is substantial 
 truth in this representation of the state of parties, and that the 
 opponents who have any name to lose have not satisfied 
 their own judgments that Phrenology is as unfounded as 
 they affirm it to be, which gives a deep and abiding in- 
 terest to the controversy, and must form my apology for 
 addressing you on the present occasion. 
 
 You say that before Phrenologists " can obtain general 
 
 <c belief, they must either lay the proofs of their doctrines be- 
 fore the public in such a plain and familiar shape as to com- 
 mand the assent of the great body of mankind ; or, if their 
 c doctrines are too abstract and profound for ordinary compre- 
 hension, they must render them satisfactory to so large a 
 " portion of the scientific and philosophical world, as to induce 
 " ordinary persons to credit them on the authority of their su- 
 " periors in wisdom. If, therefore, we saw the doctrines of 
 Phrenology adopted and promulgated by those who deserve 
 to be considered the lights of the age, we should have little 
 or no hesitation in taking those doctrines for granted, in so 
 far as they were founded on investigations beyond our own 
 capacity. But, unluckily, this is not the case. No name of 
 
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 THE EDINBURGH WEEKLY JOURNAL. 
 
 " great weight in science or philosophy is to be found among 
 the phrenological ranks." 
 
 In answer to the remark, that " no name of great weight 
 in science and philosophy is to be found among the phre- 
 nological ranks," I observe, that this objection has very 
 frequently been urged, and as often been answered; but 
 prejudice will neither listen to reason nor profit by the les- 
 sons of history. The evidence that this has been done shall 
 be laid before you at length, that no reader of this Letter may 
 be driven to the necessity of either purchasing the works re- 
 ferred to, or going in search of them to a circulating library. 
 In the " Elements of Phrenology," 3d edition, p. 201, under 
 the head of " Objections to Phrenology Considered/ 7 the 
 following passages occur : — 
 
 cc Objection. — The world has gone on well enough with the 
 " philosophy of mind it already possesses, which, besides, is 
 cc consecrated by great and venerable names, while Phrenology 
 u has neither symmetry of structure, beauty of arrangement, 
 <c nor the suffrages of the learned to recommend it. Its vota- 
 " ries are all third-rate men — persons without scientific or 
 " philosophical reputations. They are not entitled, there- 
 " fore, to challenge the regard of those who have higher studies 
 " to occupy their attention. They complain that only ridicule 
 " and abuse are directed against them, and that no one ven- 
 " tures to challenge their principles or refute their facts ; but 
 " they do not yet stand high enough in public esteem to give 
 ". them a right to expect any other treatment. 
 
 M Answer. — Phrenology being a new science, it follows that 
 " men who possess reputation in physiology or mental philoso- 
 (e phy would appear to lose rather than gain renown, were they 
 ". to confess their present ignorance of the functions of the 
 " brain and the philosophy of mind, which is a necessary pre- 
 " lude to their adoption of Phrenology ; and the subject does 
 " not lie directly in the department of other scientific men. 
 " In this manner it happens, oddly enough, that those who are 
 " most directly called upon by their situation to examine the 
 cc science, are precisely those to whom its triumph would prove 
 " most humiliating. Locke humorously observes on a similar 
 " occasion, e Would it not be an insufferable thing for a learned 
 " ' professor, and that which his scarlet would blush at, to have 
 e his authority of forty years' standing wrought out of hard 
 c rock, Greek and Latin, with no small expense of time and 
 c candle, and confirmed by general tradition and a reverend 
 beard, in an instant overturned by an upstart novelist ? Can 
 " ' any one expect that he should be made to confess, that 
 
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 16 LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF 
 
 <f c what he taught his scholars thirty years ago was all error 
 <c ' and mistake, and that he sold them hard words at a very 
 " c dear rate? What probabilities, I say, are sufficient to pre- 
 ec ' vail in such a case ? And who ever, by the most cogent 
 " ' arguments, will be prevailed with to disrobe himself at 
 1 once of all his old opinions and pretences to knowledge 
 * and learning, which with hard study he hath all his time 
 c been labouring for, and turn himself out stark-naked in 
 ' quest of fresh notions ? All the arguments that can be 
 f used will be as little able to prevail as the wind did with 
 ** ( the traveller to part with his cloak, which he held only the 
 " c faster/* Human nature is the same now as in the days of 
 " Locke. 
 
 " There is, however, another answer to the present objec- 
 tion. Some individuals are born princes, dukes, or even 
 field-marshals ; but I am not aware that it has yet been an- 
 nounced that any lady was delivered of a child of genius, or 
 u an infant of established reputation. These titles must be 
 gained by the display of qualities which merit them ; but if 
 an individual quit the beaten track pursued by the philoso- 
 phers of the day, and introduce any discovery, although 
 equally stupendous and new, his reputation is necessarily in- 
 " volved in its merits ? Harvey was not a great man before he 
 " discovered the circulation of the blood, but became such in 
 consequence of having done so. What was Shakspeare be- 
 fore the magnificence of his genius was justly appreciated ? 
 The author of Kenilworth represents him attending as an 
 humble and comparatively obscure suitor at the court of Queen 
 Elizabeth, and receiving a mark of favour in an ' Ah ! Will 
 Shakspeare, are you there?' And he most appropriately re- 
 marks, that here the immortal paid homage to the mortal. 
 u Who would now exchange the greatness of Shakspeare for 
 u the splendour of the proudest lord that bowed before the 
 " Maiden Queen ? Or let us imagine Galileo, such as he was 
 ee in reality, a feeble old man, humble in rank, destitute of po- 
 litical influence, unprotected by the countenance or alliance 
 of the great, poor, in short, in every thing except the splen- 
 did gifts of a profound, original, and comprehensive genius, 
 " — and conceive him placed at the bar of the Roman pontiff 
 " and the seven cardinals, men terrible in power, invested with 
 <c authority to torture and kill in this world, and, as was then 
 " believed, to damn through eternity ; men magnificent in 
 " state, and arrogant in the imaginary possession of all the 
 cc wisdom of their age — and let us say who was then great in 
 " reputation — Galileo or his judges ? But who is now the idol 
 of posterity — the old man or his persecutors ? The case will 
 
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 THE EDINBURGH WEEKLY JOURNAL. 17 
 
 €< be the same with Gall. If his discoveries of the functions of 
 " the brain, and of the philosophy of the mind, stand the test 
 u of examination, and prove to be a correct interpretation of 
 " nature, they will surpass, in substantial importance to man- 
 n kind, the discoveries even of Harvey, Newton, and Galileo ; 
 and this age will in consequence be rendered more illustrious 
 by the introduction of Phrenology, than by the butcheries of 
 Buonaparte, or the victories of Wellington. Finally, the as- 
 sertion, that no men of note have embraced Phrenology, is not 
 f { supported by fact. In the New Monthly Magazine for Ja- 
 nuary 1823, it is said, c There are many men here (Paris) 
 € amongst the most eminent for their medical and physiologi- 
 
 * cal knowledge, who, though differing widely upon other 
 € scientific topics, yet agree in saying, that there is much not 
 
 * only of probability, but of truth, in the system of Dr Gall/ 
 
 Now, permit me to repeat here, that, previously to indul- 
 ging in declamation on this or any similar topic, on which ob- 
 jections had been stated, and fully replied to, it was obvious- 
 ly your duty, in fairness, to say in what respects you consi- 
 dered the refutation imperfect. The Phrenologists have not 
 evaded but met the objections of their opponents ; and it is a 
 dereliction of all equitable principle to conceal the answers, 
 and urge the objections as if they were original and unrefu- 
 ted. You are too candid to do this knowingly ; and I urge 
 the fact of your having treated the Phrenologists thus un- 
 handsomely only as a proof that you have not studied their 
 writings. 
 
 Your next observation is the following : — ," We believe 
 
 that Phrenology is nowhere on so respectable a footing as 
 in our own city." 
 
 This observation may be well-founded ; but I suspect 
 
 that you are as little acquainted with the progress of 
 
 Phrenology as with its principles and evidence. The first 
 
 medical journal of Britain, and, I may say of Europe, 
 
 viz. the Medico-Chirurgical Review, has long supported 
 
 Phrenology ; the London Medical and Surgical Journal is 
 
 decidedly phrenological ; the leading medical journal of 
 
 the United States, published in Philadelphia, has long 
 
 advocated the same cause ; a Phrenological Journal of 
 
 several years^ standing is regularly published in Copen- 
 
 
18 
 
 LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF 
 
 hagen ; very recently a prospectus reached this country for 
 reprinting in America the Phrenological Journal of Edin- 
 burgh ; the 19th Number of this work contained a long and 
 interesting article communicated by the Phrenological So- 
 ciety of Washington, accompanied by a donation of casts. 
 Dr Spurzheim lectured in Manchester in May, 1829, and his 
 class was numerous and respectable, usually 200 auditors, 
 and sometimes above. They wished him to lecture again 
 in Manchester in October, and collected subscribers to that 
 effect. The medical men particularly seemed anxious to take 
 up Phrenology. In Paris a beautiful medal has been struck 
 on the occasion of the death of Dr Gall. The obverse 
 contains the head of Dr Gall, admirably executed, with 
 his name; the reverse bears the inscription, "Au Createur 
 " de la Physiologie du Cerveau," and round the margin the 
 places and dates of his nativity and death. 
 
 The following extract from the Morning Herald proves 
 that even in Italy an established professor has sacrificed his 
 chair to his faith in this science : — 
 
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 " Florence, Oct. 18, 1828. 
 
 " The discussions which occupy all parties here will, I dare 
 say, reach England. The dismissal of the Professor of Ana- 
 tomy at the Medical College is a sad evidence of the into- 
 lerant, persecuting spirit which still rules among the upper 
 powers, and that in the most liberal part of Italy. Not that 
 you in England have any right to wonder, for the world does 
 not forget the storm and the clatter, and the fierceness and the 
 bigotry, which pursued Mr Lawrence some time ago, when 
 somebody or other chose to deduce materialism from his 
 lectures. The accusation against Professor Uccelli is, that he 
 preached the doctrines of Gall and Spurzheim — in other 
 words, heresy, necessity, materialism, Protestantism, atheism, 
 and the devil, — so, when the howl of ignorance and barbarism 
 begins, it is easy enough to find victims. The first point is 
 for those knaves who set on the howlers to cover themselves 
 with the proper mask, and to swear they are influenced by 
 nothing less than a love of virtue and of religion. Uccelli 
 published, in 1826, five volumes on the Organization of the 
 Human Frame. His reputation as a physiologist stands se- 
 cond only to that of Vacca of Pisa. The fourth volume treats 
 of the anatomy of the brain, and may be deemed a defence of 
 
THE EDINBURGH WEEKLY JOURNAL. 19 
 
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 1 the new theory. The discussion is carried on throughout in 
 a mild, modest, philosophical spirit ; and, whatever may be 
 thought of his system, nothing can be urged against his man- 
 ner of treating it. I am no convert to the doctrine of the 
 twenty-seven departments, or boxes of organs, each separate 
 ' and distinct ; but I honour the man who carries on the duty 
 " of investigation in a frank and fearless temper, and am sure 
 w mankind will be greatly served by the result, be it what it 
 " may. If there be any part of the field of science in which 
 " the whole of the human race are deeply and directly interest- 
 " ed, it is in this — that a correct knowledge be obtained of the 
 " structure and functions of every part of the human frame. 
 " Uccelli is a dexterous controversialist, and was yet more re- 
 ct doubtable as he offered to meet his opponents even on what 
 " they deemed their 'vantage-ground, and reconcile Gall with 
 " St Augustine — the teachings of anatomy with the Pope's 
 c< Bulls — and experimental physiology with the faith of the Ca- 
 €t tholic Church. The priests, however, liked no such ally — 
 u they cannot be better off by discussion — they may be worse 
 " off; and he who is in a rotten ship would be a fool if he 
 " brewed up a storm. But, in the meanwhile, a pamphlet, of 
 " furious invective against the Professor, is published anony- 
 " mously, but was undoubtedly traced to the Medical Sub- 
 " Professor in the same College — one Lippi, who owed his si- 
 " tuation and advancement to Uccelli, and availed himself of 
 " his intimacy, first to seduce Uccelli's wife, and then to tra- 
 " duce his character. What docs Uccelli do but cite Lippi be- 
 u fore the tribunals for defamation? and the court decides that 
 " he shall be temporarily suspended. Uccelli, indignant at such 
 u a result, proffered his resignation to the Grand Duke, alleg- 
 <€ ing that he could not possibly continue to be the colleague of 
 ft his slanderer and betrayer. But the Grand Duke did not 
 " care to trouble himself about the matter, and would not ac- 
 " cept Uccelli's resignation, and thus the affair seemed to rest : 
 " but now appears another pamphlet, written by a meddling 
 " Professor of Lucca, (Grimaldi), defending Lippi, and holding 
 " up the opinions of Uccelli to the execration of all devout 
 cc Catholics. The pamphlet reached the Palazzo Pitti, and dire 
 e f indeed was the shock and the horror produced in the minds 
 " of the three Grand Duchesses, who had no notion that such 
 cc damnable and devilish notions as those of Uccelli had any 
 cc existence in their States. These ladies — pinks of piety, and 
 " peonies of faith — who scarcely ever take a ride without cram- 
 " ming their carriages with wax-candles to present to some Ma- 
 " donna whom they visit in their way — these fair and gentle 
 " ladies hurry, with uplifted hands, long faces, and noisy 
 " tongues, to the Grand Duke, and move him at last to refer Uc- 
 " celli's work to the theological college of Pisa. The college 
 condemned it, as a thing of course, and Uccelli is sent a- 
 
 « begging. 
 
20 
 
 LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF 
 
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 " Two of the Bologna Professors have given similar umbrage 
 " by preaching fatalism: any word will do for a persecutor, 
 particularly if nobody understands its meaning. Their names 
 are Oricoli and Tommasini. Cardinal Opizoni sent to them 
 the following polite message : — ' I beg to apologize for the 
 " ' trouble I give ; but, as all mankind are not so enlightened as 
 " e you, you will be so good at not to scandalize them by preach- 
 " ' ing the dangerous and immoral doctrines of Dr Gall : and 
 <c the Professors, not less courteous, replied, that they were ob- 
 u liged by the polite interference, with which they should com- 
 " ply ; but they have not complied, and a proceeding is ripen- 
 " ing for deposing them. It is known that both Lippi and 
 " Grimaldi, who have been fanning this flame of persecution, 
 " have not the wretched excuse of the ignorant and fanatic— 
 " they know better ; but in Italy it is difficult for public opi- 
 " nion to apply its scourges for the punishment of the vile, or 
 " to stretch out the encouraging hand for the protection of the 
 " injured." 
 
 Your next objection is, " When it is considered how many 
 
 years Phrenology has been taught, this total failure in obtain- 
 " ing proselytes of note forms a presumption by no means fa- 
 " vourable to the soundness of its doctrine." This remark also 
 
 has been anticipated and answered in the Elements of Phre- 
 nology : — 
 
 Objection. — " g It is inconceivable, that, after the discovery 
 e was made, there should be any body who could pretend to 
 6 doubt of its reality. The means of verifying it, one would 
 ' think, must have been such as not to leave a pretext for the 
 e slightest hesitation ; and the fact that, after twenty years* 
 s preaching in its favour, it is far more generally rejected than 
 ' believed, might seem to afford pretty conclusive evidence 
 ' against the possibility of its truth/ " 
 Answer. — u Mr Play fair, in his ' Dissertation/ prefixed to 
 the Supplement of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, observes, — 
 
 * It must not be supposed that so great a revolution in science 
 c as that which was made by the new analysis, (by Newton,) 
 e could be brought about entirely without opposition, as in 
 e every society there are some who think themselves interested 
 
 * to maintain things in the condition wherein they have found 
 ' them. The considerations are indeed sufficiently obvious, 
 ' which, in the moral and political world, tend to produce this 
 
 * effect, and to give a stability to human institutions often so 
 ' little proportionate to their real value, or to their general 
 c utility. Even in matters purely intellectual, and in which 
 ' the abstract truths of arithmetic and geometry seem alone 
 c concerned, the prejudices, the selfishness, or the vanity of 
 ' those who pursue them, not unfrequently combine to resist 
 1 improvement, and often engage no inconsiderable degree of 
 
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THE EDINBURGH WEEKLY JOURNAL. 
 
 21 
 
 talent in drawing back, instead of pushing forward, the ma- 
 chine of science. The introduction of methods entirely new 
 must often change the relative place of the men engaged in 
 scientific pursuits, and must oblige many, after descending 
 from the stations they formerly occupied, to take a lower 
 position in the scale of intellectual improvement. The en* 
 mity of such men, if they be not animated by a spirit of real 
 candour and the love of truth, is likely to be directed 
 against methods by which their vanity is mortified and their 
 importance lessened.' " — Dissertation, part II. p. 27. 
 Mr Playfair, again, speaking of the discoveries of Newton 
 in regard to the composition of light, says, c But all were not 
 equally candid with the Dutch philosopher (Huygens) ; and 
 though the discovery now communicated had every thing 
 to recommend it which can arise from what is great, new, 
 and singular ; though it was not a theory or system of 
 opinions, but the generalization of facts made known by ex- 
 periments ; and though it was brought forward in a most 
 simple and unpretending form, — a host of enemies appeared, 
 each eager to obtain the unfortunate pre-eminence of being 
 the first to attack conclusions which the unanimous voice of 
 posterity was to confirm.' " — P. 56. " ' Among them, one 
 of the first was Father Pardies, who wrote against the ex- 
 periments, and what he was pleased to call the hypothesis of 
 Newton. A satisfactory and calm reply convinced him of 
 his mistake, which he had the candour very readily to ac* 
 knowledge. A countryman of his, Mariotte, was more dif- 
 ficult to be reconciled, and though very conversant with ex- 
 periment, appears never to have succeeded in repeating the 
 experiments of Newton.' '' — lb. p. 57- 
 
 c These observations are completely applicable to the case of 
 Phrenology. The discovery is new, important, and widely at 
 i: variance with the prevailing opinions of the present genera- 
 tion ; and its reception and progress have been precisely such 
 as any sensible person, acquainted with the history of science, 
 " would have anticipated. ' The discoverer of the circulation 
 € of the blood,' says the Edinburgh Review, — ' a discovery 
 ' which, if measured by its consequences on physiology and 
 
 • medicine, was the greatest ever made since physic was cul- 
 " • tivated, suffers no diminution of his reputation in our day, 
 
 f from the incredulity with which his doctrine was received 
 
 * by some, the effrontery with which it was claimed by others, 
 1 or the knavery with which it was attributed to former phy- 
 
 <c € siologists, by those who could not deny and would not 
 ' praise it. The very names of these envious and dishonest 
 ' enemies of Harvey are scarcely remembered ; and the ho- 
 ' nour of this great discovery now rests, beyond all dispute, 
 c with the great philosopher who made it.' Posterity will 
 pass a similar judgment on Dr Gall and his opponents." 
 
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22 
 
 LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF 
 
 Now, if human nature has not changed since the days of 
 Galileo, Harvey, Newton, and Locke, the opposition of men 
 of great weight in science and philosophy is precisely what 
 was to have been expected, provided Phrenology be really 
 a great and important discovery. I should be happy to be 
 informed of a solitary example of an opposite kind, — one in 
 which a man who had poured a stream of light upon a dark 
 and perplexed department of philosophy, who had thereby 
 brought strikingly into view not only the magnificence of the 
 Creator's institutions, but the poverty and meanness of the 
 fictions which the human imagination had previously substi- 
 tuted in their place, — was recognised as a benefactor of his 
 race, and honoured as a superior genius by the " great men" 
 whose feeble errors had thus been placed in painful contrast 
 with the simple yet irresistible and beautiful truths of nature. 
 Farther, are you able to point out any physiology of the 
 brain better than Dr GalTs ? or any sufficient reason hitherto 
 assigned by the great in philosophy and science for rejecting 
 it as unfounded ? — any refutation of it, in short, which is 
 recognised, not by Phrenologists, but by the public, as sub- 
 versive of its pretensions ? If you cannot indicate such a work, 
 (and the readiness with which you abandon all prior refuta- 
 tions, and the avidity with which you cling to Mr Stone, show 
 that you cannot,) I am well authorised in ascribing the hos- 
 tility of men of established reputation to prejudice alone. 
 
 Because Phrenology has been ridiculed and rejected by 
 men of note, I do not argue that it must necessarily be 
 true ; all I contend for is, that, on the known principles of 
 human nature, its truth would not be sufficient to protect it 
 from similar abuse, and therefore that its hostile reception 
 affords no ground for inferring its falsehood. 
 
 You charge presumption against the Phrenologists for pre- 
 tending " to destroy the labours of the whole metaphysical 
 " world from Aristotle down to Dugald Stewart ;" and one 
 would naturally infer from this, that these labours had been 
 recognised as something substantial, and constituting esta- 
 
THE EDINBURGH WEEKLY JOURNAL. 23 
 
 Wished and useful science. I am enabled, however, to give 
 you a melancholy proof under the hand of Mr Stewart him- 
 self, that, even before he had completed the publication of 
 his doctrines, the subversion of his whole fabric by his suc- 
 cessor in the University of Edinburgh had been proclaimed 
 to the world, and threatened to disturb the repose of his clos- 
 ing years. The following letter, addressed by Mr Stewart 
 to Dr Poole, in answer to one accompanying a review of Dr 
 Thomas Brown^s Physiology of the Mind, has been printed 
 by Dr Poole for a different purpose, and sent into pretty ex- 
 tensive circulation. On this account, and as Mr Stewart is 
 now dead, I trust there is no impropriety in introducing it 
 here : — 
 
 " Kinneil House, 15tk June, 1820. 
 
 Dear Sir, — I beg you to accept of my best thanks for your 
 kind attention in sending me the last number of your Review. 
 u From the favourable account you give of one of the articles 
 u contained in it I have no doubt of its merits ; and, had it re- 
 lated to any other subject, I should have had much pleasure 
 in complying with your request. But, not having yet looked 
 into the work which has given occasion to this article, I was 
 " not in a condition to profit by the strictures of your friend ; 
 " and I have, therefore, been forced to delay the perusal of them, 
 " till I shall have more leisure than I have at present any pros- 
 pect of soon enjoying. I am now far advanced in years, and 
 have but a short time left for completing those tasks for which 
 some of your critical brethren are pleased to represent me as 
 <e pledged to the public. May I add to this, (in confidence to 
 yourself,) that, not having taken up very lightly my philoso- 
 phical opinions, I cannot afford to waste my time in the study 
 of new theories, which profess to accomplish a complete revo- 
 
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 " lution in that branch of science to which I have devoted the 
 best part of my life ? I must, therefore, during my few re- 
 
 <c maining years, content myself with plodding on in the beaten 
 " track, and with treading, as far as I can, in the footsteps of 
 " those humbler guides whom it has hitherto been my ambition 
 " to follow. Another consideration also weighs with me not a 
 " little. The affection which I have always felt for Dr Brown's 
 cc amiable qualities, and the well-known exertions which I made 
 " to introduce him into the University, impose on me, now that 
 iC he is unfortunately no more, a complete silence with respect 
 to his speculations ; and I must, therefore, where there is any 
 difference between us in our views, trust to the operation of 
 time in establishing the truth. u Dugald Stewart." 
 
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24 
 
 LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF 
 
 << 
 
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 Such a letter as this could not have been written by Gali- 
 leo or Newton on the appearance of a work by any pupil of 
 theirs. Its general tone expresses a feeling of insecurity 
 which these philosophers could never have experienced re- 
 garding the stability of their discoveries. 
 
 To myself you are kind enough to pay a compliment in 
 
 the following words: — " Mr Combe, in particular— who 
 
 seems to be decidedly the next in rank to Spurzheim himself 
 —has displayed powers of so high an order, that we have 
 " often been tempted to wish they were exercised upon some 
 object of less equivocal value. But still Mr Combe is merely 
 a Phrenologist — in which capacity alone he has any status in 
 the literary world." 
 
 Few words will suffice in answer to these observations. 
 You greatly over-rate the extent of my ability; for my 
 strength lies in the goodness of my cause. I have studied 
 Phrenology, and read its doctrines directly in the page of 
 nature. What I assert in point of fact, I have seen and 
 handled ; and what I maintain in argument, I have found 
 confirmed by practical results. Those who have attacked 
 the doctrines, on the other hand, have not studied them as 
 science ; they have not read the facts, on which they found 
 their objections, in the book of nature ; and they have not 
 tried how their arguments would harmonize with other as- 
 certained truths, nor how they would issue if carried into 
 practical effect. Full of confidence in themselves, and of con- 
 tempt for their adversary, each has come to the combat with- 
 out arms and without armour ; and if in some instances the 
 assailant has reeled back from the shock of the encounter, 
 his own weakness was the cause, and not any gigantic 
 strength in him whom he assailed. 
 
 I plead guilty of being known to the world only as a Phre- 
 nologist. Believing, as I do, that the same Divine Wisdom 
 which ordained the universe, presided also at the endowment 
 of the brain with its functions ; that the brain is the organ of 
 the mind, and that mind is the noblest work of God ; con- 
 vinced, also, that this discovery carries in its train the most 
 
THE EDINBURGH WEEKLY JOURNAL. 25 
 
 valuable improvements in education, morals, and in civil and 
 religious institutions, — I cannot conceive a nobler employ- 
 ment than that of vindicating its claims to consideration, and 
 stemming, to the extent of my feeble ability, the mighty 
 flood of prejudice and injustice with which, like all other im- 
 portant discoveries, it has been deluged. These sentiments 
 are not the ebullitions of mere excited enthusiasm. You 
 will find them stated in sober calmness in a duodecimo 
 volume on the Constitution of Man. To be recognised, here- 
 after, by impartial and enlightened men, as having been in any 
 degree instrumental in braving the storm of popular derision 
 with which Phrenology was at first assailed, will more than 
 satisfy all the ambition for posthumous fame which ever fired 
 my bosom ; and I never was so extravagant as to expect, 
 while alive, any reward from 4i the great in science and phi- 
 " losophy" except ridicule and dislike. They have chosen 
 their part, and I have chosen mine : the long day will do jus- 
 tice to all. 
 
 You proceed, — u Phrenology is founded upon certain pro- 
 
 " positions, in point of fact, which are averred by its teachers, 
 ee and which it is incumbent on them to prove. These proposi- 
 " tions are perfectly distinct and intelligible — they involve no- 
 " thing impossible or self-contradictory ; and the only question 
 ' c therefore is, are they supported by sufficient evidence ? This 
 " question the Phrenologists are bound to answer, and they 
 u must answer it by bringing forward a complete and irresistible 
 " body of evidence. This, we think, they have hitherto been 
 " unable to do ; and, therefore, we must continue to withhold 
 " our assent to their doctrines/' 
 
 Any person of ordinary impartiality would presume from 
 these remarks, that you had really made yourself acquainted 
 with the body of evidence which the Phrenologists had 
 brought forward, and found it deficient; but I appeal to 
 yourself whether any inference could be more erroneous. 
 Five complete volumes of the Phrenological Journal, replete 
 with facts, are now published, and I venture to say, that 
 you have not read one of them, putting all your de- 
 tached efforts in this way together. There are above four 
 hundred skulls and casts in the Phrenological Museum, open 
 
-2() LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF 
 
 once a-vveek to your inspection ; and I have good reason to 
 believe that you have never examined twenty of them, or 
 probably one of them, with a view to ascertain whether Phre- 
 nology be true. The works of Dr Gall extend to eight 8vo 
 volumes, and are to a very great extent records of observa- 
 tions ; and if you have perused fifty pages of them all, I shall 
 be surprised to learn that your studies have been so extensive. 
 Farther, Dr Spurzheim lectured here in winter 1828, and 
 exhibited evidence in favour of Phrenology to the senses of his 
 hearers ; but you did not attend him. The Phrenological 
 Society has brought forward numerous and highly-interest- 
 ing facts at its meetings, which have been held once a-fort- 
 night during winter for nine years, to which admission is 
 easily obtained ; but these meetings you did not attend. Fi- 
 nally, I used the freedom to present you with a ticket to my 
 course of lectures commencing in January last ; but you did 
 not honour me with your presence. As you, in these cir- 
 cumstances, have been led to resume your hostility to Phren- 
 ology, to excite anew the prejudices of the public against it, 
 to defer, so far as your influence extends, the day when jus- 
 tice shall be done to the merits of Dr Gall and society shall 
 reap the benefits of his discovery, I have considered it my 
 duty to address you in their vindication. The consequences 
 which attend your proceedings confer on them importance. 
 An enlightened press is a powerful check on folly, presump- 
 tion, and envy, which instinctively delight in the misrepre- 
 sentation of truth, and the obstruction of its progress : A 
 press, on the other hand, incapable, through ignorance, of dis- 
 criminating between truth and error, and prone by its preju- 
 dices to believe every assertion on one side, and to turn a 
 deaf ear to every testimony from the other, is a public cala- 
 mity, when the subject of discussion is one of such direct 
 and consequential importance as the physiology of the brain 
 and the philosophy of the mind. It is not, therefore, your 
 opinions as an individual which I arraign, but your conduct 
 as the Editor of an influential journal ; and, in addressing 
 
THE EDINBURGH WEEKLY JOURNAL. 
 
 27 
 
 you even in this character, my object is to win you to im- 
 partiality in future, and not to resent injuries which you have 
 unintentionally committed in the past. Towards yourself 
 personally I have long entertained, and hope I shall ever 
 cherish, the sincerest respect, and remain, 
 
 Sir, 
 
 Your most obedient servant, 
 
 GEO. COMBE. 
 
 Edinburgh, 30th May, 1829. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 Oliver & Boyd, Printers. 
 
LIBRARY OF CON 
 
 GRESS 
 
 027 324 899 7 
 
 
 
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