Sir William Hamilton and phrenology : an exposition of phrenology; shewing the complete inefficacy of the objections lately advanced in the Royal Society, and the real grounds on which the system ought to be assailed.

  • Sir William Hamilton, 9th Baronet
Date:
1826
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Sir William Hamilton and phrenology : an exposition of phrenology; shewing the complete inefficacy of the objections lately advanced in the Royal Society, and the real grounds on which the system ought to be assailed. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    of Hartley and Briggs. Yet, with some in- gratitude, and more absurdity, the stoutest clamour of the Phrenologists is for the praise of Originality! The man who gives a new polish to the needle might just as well lay claim to the invention of the compass. If there be no novelty, whatever folly, in re- ferring the whole developments of intelligence to specific impressions on the general mass of the medullary convolutions of the brain, there appears to be very little room for merit,—even if that merit were their own,—in ascribing particular feelings to particular sections. It has all along been the hue and cry of the Phrenologists that their opinions have been misrepresented. This, no doubt, is singular enough, seeing that their system is so much a system of quantity and observation. It would be rather difficult, we imagine, to slander a theorem of Euclid, or mis-state the colours of the rainbow. But the melancholy truth appears to be, that, notwithstanding all their reliance on experiment, these people are quite as much at odds among themselves as the most malicious of their enemies could desire. Wedespise, however,to take advantage of their division. If they choose to depart from their principles, we shall not. We shall stick only to what will not be libelled, and cannot be denied. The powers and changes of the mind, then, have their “ organs” in the brain. We shall
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