VIEWS OF PHRENOLOGISTS. 353 



animal. The moral and intellectual dispositions are innate. Their 

 manifestation is dependent upon organization. The encephalon is the 

 exclusive organ of the mind. Such are four incontestable principles, 

 forming the whole physiology of the encephalon;" and he adds; 

 " the detailed developement of the physiology of the encephalon has 

 unveiled the deficiencies of the hypotheses of philosophers regarding 

 the moral and intellectual powers of man ; and has been the means of 

 bringing to light a philosophy of man, founded on his organization, and, 

 consequently, the only one in harmony with nature.'' 1 



It is impossible to enter, at length, into the various facts and hypo- 

 theses developed in the preceding exposition. The great points of 

 doctrine in the system of Gall, are : First. That the encephalon 

 consists of a plurality of organs, each engaged in a separate, distinct 

 office, the production of a special intellectual or moral faculty. 

 Secondly. That each of these organs ends at the periphery of the ence- 

 phalon; and is indicated by more or less developement of the part; and 

 Thirdly. That, by observation of the skull, we may be enabled to de- 

 tect the protuberance, produced by such encephalic developement; and 

 thus indicate the seat of the encephalic organs of the different faculties. 

 It has been shown, in the preceding history, that the notion of the 

 plurality of organs has prevailed extensively in all ages ; and what- 

 ever may be the merit of the arguments adduced by Gall on this sub- 

 ject, it is difficult not to conceive, that different primary faculties may 

 have their corresponding organs. Simple inspection of the encepha- 

 lon indicates that it consists of numerous parts, differing essentially in 

 structure and appearance from each other ; and it is but philosophical to 

 presume, that these are adapted to equally different functions, although 

 our acquaintance with the physiology of the organs may not be suffi- 

 ciently extensive to enable us to designate them. Of the innate cha- 

 racter of several of the faculties described by Gall, it is scarcely possible 

 for us to admit a doubt. Take, for instance, the instincts of generation 

 and of love of progeny. Without the existence of these, every animal 

 species would soon be extinct. It seems fair, then, to presume, that 

 these instincts or innate faculties may have encephalic organs specially 

 concerned in their manifestation. Gall places them in the posterior 

 part of the head, the instinct of generation in the cerebellum; and 

 his causes for so doing have been cited; yet, striking as his statement 

 in regard to the encephalic seat of the instinct of generation seems to 

 be, it has been contested by many physiologists, by MM. Broussais, 

 Foville, and Pinel-Grandchamp, Rolando, Flourens, Desmoulins, Cal- 

 meil, and others; and, not only by argument, but by that which must 

 be the test of the validity of the doctrines of the phrenologists direct 

 experiment. It has been shown, indeed, that the genital excitement 

 which is supposed by the followers of Gall to be seated in the cerebellum, 

 can be equally produced by irritating the posterior column of the spinal 

 marrow; and it would seem, that coincidence of disease of the spinal 

 cord with affection of the genital organs is much more frequent. 2 Ac- 



1 Sur les Fonctions du Cerveau, vi. 500, Paris, 1825. 



3 Muller's Elements of Physiology, by Baly, p. 833, Lond., 1838. 



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