CHAP. xvi. THE NEGLECT OF PHRENOLOGY. 167 



talents and acuteness of observation devoted their lives 

 to the collection of these facts. They studied also the 

 brain itself, and discovered many details of its structure 

 before unknown. They studied the skull, its varying 

 thicknesses in different parts and at different ages, as 

 well as under the influence of disease. And it was only 

 after making allowance for every source of uncertainty 

 or error that they announced the possibility of determin- 

 ing character with a considerable amount of certainty, 

 and often with marvellous exactness. Surely this was a 

 scientific mode of procedure, and the only sound method 

 of ascertaining the relations that exist between the devel- 

 opment of the brain and the mental faculties and powers. 

 A few examples, showing how far this was actually done, 

 will now be given. 



In October, 1835, Combe visited the Newcastle 

 Lunatic Asylum and examined the heads of several of 

 the patients. These were selected by the Surgeon- 

 Superintendent, Mr. Mackintosh, and their mental 

 peculiarities had been noted down by him beforehand. 

 For convenience of comparison, Combe's notes and those 

 of Mr. Mackintosh are put in parallel columns. 1 



Combe's Phrenological Notes. Superintendent's Notes. 



PATIENT J. N. 



ANIMAL organs large. A bad character. 



CAUTIOUSNESS and DESTRUC- Hypochroudriacal. 



TIVENESS predominant. 

 HOPE small. MORAL FACUL- Suicidal. 



TIES deficient. 



PATIENT L. J. 

 ACQUISITIVENESS enormously Monomania, wealth. 



large. 



1 These tests at Newcastle are fully reported in the Phrenological 

 Journal, vol. ix. pp. 519-526. 



