STUDY OF BRAINS OF SIX EMINENT SCIENTISTS AND SCHOLARS. 



215 



Of course, every rule has its exceptions, and, with this limitation, the inference 

 that the intellectual status is in some way reflected in the mass and weight of the 

 brain seems generally correct. But further than this our analysis shows that the 

 brains of men devoted to the higher intellectual occupations, such as the mathematical 

 sciences, involving the most complex mechanisms of the mind, those of men who 

 have devised original lines of research (Cuvier) and those of forceful characters, like 

 Ben Butler and Daniel Webster, are generally heavier still. The results are fully in 

 accord with biological truths. 



The Cranial Capacity of Eminent Men. 



The following list shows the capacity of the skulls of 64 notable men. Not all of 

 these have been measured by e.xactly the same methods and the result is doubtlessly 

 not quite accurate. Nor can we be quite sure that all of these skulls have been iden- 

 tified correctly. The vicissitudes of the bones of even the most eminent deceased quite 

 preclude authenticity in every case. For example, Welcker has been able to show 

 that a skull alleged to be Schiller's could not have been his at all. The identity of the 

 skull of Sir Thomas Browne is still in dispute. 



Another report which has been quoted frequently relates to the skull of Bismarck. 

 I am unable to find any authentic account of a post-mortem examination and all refer- 

 ences to the brain-weight and cranial capacity seem to be founded upon certain meas- 

 urements made upon Bismarck's head during life. These measurements were taken 

 during the summer of 1895 by the sculptor Schaph, of Berlin, who made the Bismarck 

 statue at Cologne. The head-length was 21.2 cm., the head-width 17.0 cm. The 

 cranial capacity was estimated at 1965 cu. cm. This led to the estimation of the 

 probable brain-weight as 1867 grams (Welcker's coefiicient being used), or 1710 grams 

 (Manouvrier's coefficient). Mies : Tiigliche Rundschau," April 17-18, 1895. 



The list of cranial capacities which follows has been collected from numerous 

 sources ; the majority are taken from the writings of Welcker, Schaafhausen, 

 Manouvrier, Topinard, Nicolucci and Holl. 



Several investigators have attempted to estimate brain-weight approximately 



a. p. S.— XXI. Y. 1-2, 10, '07. 



