The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1874-05-20
PHRENOLOGY.
a DISCUSSION OF THE srtBJEcr
BY DIR. @. G.. PARKER.
WHO DENoUNCBs THE THEORY
ASA HUMBUG,

Below we publish brief svnonsis .,
tho lecture delivered by DR.. @. @. Parker
4" tho high school building on Monday
evening The lecture was oyidentlv nro.
far'd WIN great care, and gave convinc.
ing PROOF that tho doctor has msds tina
subject study, and with which Ia
was well fitted 10 grapple.
The principle points discussed by tho
doctor were that IL the comparative de-
yelopmont OF tho cerebrum be- examined
IN dinerent species OF animals and differ
ent races OF mon tho siso of this organ
VIII 90 found to correspond very closely
win the degree Of Intelligence po.sossed
by the individual. Tha. tho cereb,sl
hsinisphures are tnc seat of tho reaspn,n.,
powers or tho Intellectual faculties proro,.
that this fact had been demonstrated not
only by experiments on tho lower apin,ls
but also by tho ell cts Of di,oaso on tho
brains of human subjects When. how
ever, an httompt was mado 20 proceed
further and TO connect tho mind or ;,s
faculties with particular parts Of the
nervous system, failure was a. , inevitable
result Tha. the shape and position OF
tho brain WAS such that nat
moro than one.ttird OF its surface could
bo examined by external manipula,jon
That the layer of gray matter or gang.
Homie layer covered the entire surfaee oil
Ii
tho brain, and that being similar in s,,uc.
ture and composition throughout there
was no reason why one portion should M.
DO Of equal importance with smother.
That thosurfaco Of tho brain was every
whore Irrcgularly convolu,cd and that
the conYoluu3ns penetrated to yAryinc
depths, so that the smount Of gray matter
contained in any given space could no, be-
determined by any external examination.
That thcskul varied in thickness. tina,
tho informal and external tahlo. q,
that bone did not correspond Ia thor s,o
vaiiona and depfessons, and that for mi.
reaon the contour OF tho brain, wa, from
without indetormlnato. That tho convo.
buttons Of tho brain which often a..onu,te
the skull in places until It is so thin ma % |
be Transparent, without olevatinr il az.
iernally, are often broader and slways |
longer than the li.tlo organs whi.h tho |
phrenologists have arranged ALONE tho
eye brows. That from this fact il v,s
evident that an organ like size. weigh, |
or color If it did projoc: beyond tho sur
rounding brain, would only render tho
supst.ncumban. boao thinner wi.sop,
causing IT to rise.
Thh; many Of tho smAlles, phlenolorl-
cal organs had teen located over the
frontal sinues-iEo cavities OF variable,
aud from without wholly inapreei.b,s
extent existing between the table, Of
TIE frontal bone, ana that on THE account
'ae zeal amount Of development, Of the
Ofain Ia This region could not, by external
exploration be determined.
Tho cerebsilum By its proportional de-
'eioPrnent n. different ages was shown to
Do not tho puborsl organ as claimed
~ ph'enology, tu: one, the functions Of
h'eh are Of very ciferer,s OFT; thu, ia
'hiei function, according 20 the evidence
u modern phyiiologr, was ems Of co-or- I
iihAii9n, exercising control over the
voluntary movements.
II was the lecturers opinion TIN. the
chronological functions hsd been frat ,
.ogiialcd priori and then connected
With The several organs; in fac, that
chronology was not discovered bu. in
'ehted. And that although higher de-
rec OF intelligence wa, usually ascot q
ted with large development of tho brain, O
"aA nevertheless quito as much do. a
ehdont on quality as quantity. 4
That although the mind would increase
strength by exercise and education vet
xternal form oftho cranium under want
0 change Whatever.