Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 1315

JOHANN GASPAR SPURZHEIM (1776-1832) Observations sur la folie. Chez Treuttel et Würtz 1818 viii, 340 pp. 2 fold. plates. 19.7 cm.

Spurzheim's place in medical history, like that of his teacher-collaborator, Franz Josef Gall (see No. 1158), is largely within the realm of pseudoscience. Together they invented and advanced the "science" of phrenology, a concept holding that the moral, sexual, and intellectual traits of an individual are linked to corresponding protuberances of the brain which in turn manifest themselves as lumps on the skull. After propagandizing with Gall throughout Europe, Spurzheim traveled to America where he found many adherents to the new theory, leading to the formation of secret phrenological societies throughout the country. Although phrenology was eventually discredited, the theory that the functions of the brain are localized within the cerebrum must justly be considered a major contribution to anatomy and physiology. Observations on the deranged manifestations of the mind was first published in English at London in 1817. It appeared in this French translation and also in German the next year. In it Spurzheim discussed phrenological principles and their application to the classification, treatment, and prevention of mental diseases.

See Related Record(s): 1158