How a Phrenology Head Was Traditionally Used

Phrenology was a pseudoscience that linked bumps on a person's head to certain aspects of the individual's personality and character. Phrenology heads or busts were used by phrenologists to perform "skull readings" that supposedly revealed information about a person's character and tendencies.

The practice was based on the idea that certain functions were located in specific areas of the brain. Phrenologists suggested that the brain was composed of muscles that, like other areas of the body, grew bigger when they were used more often. As a result, phrenologists proposed, bumps were produced in those areas on the skull.

This article discusses the history of phrenology and how it was used. It also explores the impact of this pseudoscience, including its perpetuation of scientific racism.

A Brief History of Phrenology

Phrenology was developed by a German physician named Franz Joseph Gall in the late 1700s. His observations suggested that differences in the outward shape and appearance of the head were associated with certain traits and characteristics.

While this is now viewed entirely as pseudoscience, phrenology actually became quite popular for a time. Phrenology readings became quite popular.

Regions of the Phrenology Head

A phrenology head or bust has a number of different regions of the brain linked to different personality characteristics. Gall himself only recognized 27 faculties. Yet in most classic examples of phrenology busts, there were 35 different regions of the head, which were linked to the faculties listed below:

1. Amativeness, or sexual desire
2. Philoprogenitiveness
3. Inhabitiveness
4. Adhesiveness
5. Combativeness
6. Destructiveness
7. Secretiveness
8. Acquisitiveness
9. Constructiveness
10. Self-esteem
11. Love of Approbation
12. Cautiousness
13. Benevolence
14. Reverence
15. Firmness
16. Conscientiousness
17. Hope
18. Marvelousness
19. Ideality
20. Mirthfulness
21. Imitation
22. Individuality
23. Configuration
24. Size
25. Weight
26. Coloring
27. Locality
28. Calculation
29. Order
30. Eventuality
31. Time
32. Tune
33. Language
34. Comparison
35. Causality

How a Phrenology Reading Traditionally Worked

During a skull reading, a phrenologist would carefully feel the individual's head and make note of bumps and indentations. The phrenologist would compare these findings to that of a phrenology bust in order to determine what the surface of the skull had to say about the individual's natural aptitudes, character, and tendencies.

Scientists discredited phrenology by the mid-1800s, although phrenology readings continued to have moments of popularity during the late 1800s and early 1900s. While phrenology was eventually shown to be pseudoscience, the idea that certain abilities might be linked to specific areas of the brain did have an influence on the field of neurology and the study of the localization of brain functions.

Phrenology is regarded as a pseudoscience along the same lines as palm reading and astrology.

Phrenology and Scientific Racism

While phrenology is often presented today as nothing more than a quirky pseudoscience of the past, it is important to recognize its place as part of the scientific racism of the 19th century. It was frequently used as a way to justify slavery and racial inequality, with proponents of the pseudoscience suggesting that it "proved" the biological superiority of white people. 

It is also important to notes that while phrenology has been dismissed as a pseudoscience, other forms of scientific racism persist today. Studies suggesting that differences in arrest rates and IQ scores are due to inherent differences in racial groups and not a reflection of systemic racism are more modern examples of scientific racism.