Phrenology

Phrenology, theory that the various faculties of the mind occupy distinct and separate areas in the brain cortex and that the predominance of certain faculties can be predicted from modifications of the parts of the skull overlying the areas where these faculties are located. Phrenologists studied the shape and detailed contours of the skull as indicators of personality, intelligence, and individual characteristics. The method, developed by F.J. Gall and promoted in the United Kingdom and United States by George Combe (1788–1858), had many 19th century followers and led to the more enlightened treatment of the mentally ill.