
KIDD’S OWN JOURNAL. 
es on ae 
PHRENOLOGY FOR THE MILLION, 
No. XLV.—PHYSIOLOGY OF THE BRAIN. 
BY F. J. GALL, M.D. 
(Continued from Page 362, Vol. III.) 

Wer Now PROCEED TO THE DiIscUSSION OF 
ANOTHER very important branch of our subject ; 
and that is,— 
How po PRIMITIVE DISPOSITIONS, ESSENTIALLY 
Goop, DEGENERATE INTO Evin Prorensiries ? 
Bad propensities and moral evil are, it would 
appear, inherent in human nature; notwithstand- 
ing the efforts which some men think it their 
duty to make, to conceal their true origin. 
Let us, then, as physiologists, examme how 
far the fundamental qualities and faculties of man 
may become evil propensities, and, consequently, 
the source of moral evil. 
The brain, the instrument of the moral qualities 
and intellectual faculties, is essentially the same 
in all well-constituted men ; but the various inte- 
erant parts of the brain, or the different organs, 
are not equally developed in all. The relations 
of these developments are infinitely varied. Hence, 
the infinite variety in the moral and intellectual 
character of men. 
In the same individual, all organs do not receive 
the same degree of development. It follows, 
hence, that no man possesses all qualities and all 
faculties to the same degree. 
The function, or the tendency of the activity 
of an organ, is graduated according to the degree 
of its development or excitement; the function 
of an organ, moderately developed, is not similar 
to the defective or excessive development of the 
same organ. The propensity to propagation is, 
certainly, the most necessary institution of the 
Creator ; but, when its organ is too little developed, 
we experience impotence, indifference, or even 
aversion to the other sex. Too much developed, 
on the contrary, it degenerates into a propensity 
to salacity and all its excesses. The love of chil- 
dren is one of the first qualities of a mother ; but 
too small a development of the same organ pyro- 
duces indifference, and even hatred to chiidren ; 
and may become one of the causes of infanticide. 
This organ, too much developed, is the source of 
the weaknesses which fathers and mothers allow 
themselves toward their children. There have 
even been instances of females, condemned to celi- 
bacy or to sterility, being tempted to commit the 
erime of child-stealing. The instinct of self- 
defence, anecessary quality, becomes, inits exalted 
action, courage, inclination for combat, temerity ; 
in its depression, on the contrary, timidity, das- 
tardliness, cowardice. No one will say, that it is 
a misfortune for man to be destined to live on 
flesh, as well as on vegetables ; yet, it is an exces- 
sive activity of this same inclination, which pro- 
duces, step by step, insensibility to others’ sutter- 
ings, pleasure at causing and witnessing pain, 
the inclination to destroy, kill, burn. The senti- 
ment of property, innate in man, and even in 
animals, will always be one of the principal bonds 
of social order ; but, give too much energy to this 
same sentiment, and the man will be tempted by 


inclination to fraud, usury, corruption, venality, 
theft. The love of honor, the source of so many 
noble actions, if too eager and ill directed, seeks 
flattery, luxury, ostentation. Noble pride degene- 
rates into presumption, insolence, contempt, and 
despotism. It is thus that raillery, mockery, the 
spirit of sedition and independence, insubordina- 
tion, disobedience, obstinacy, credulity, supersti- 
tion, idolatry, have their origin in dispositions 
primitively good, and essential to the human race. 
Qualities and talents, peculiarly distinguished, 
are of the same origin. It is always a very favor- 
able development of an organ, an unaccustomed 
energy of its function, which produces the disposi - 
tion to benevolence, religious sentiments and ideas, 
the talent for poetry ; without such development 
there would be neither great musicians, nor great 
sculptors, nor great orators ; all the arts and all 
the sciences would remain in a state of obscure 
mediocrity. 
This explanation of the degeneracy and of the 
improvement of man’s moral and intellectual forces, 
of the origin of his vicious and virtuous propensi- 
ties, of genius, and of weakness of intellect, is 
most in conformity with his nature. 
It is now time to meet the great question, 
namely—as man cannot, in any manner, arrest the 
development of his organs, nor, consequently, relax 
the energy of their functions and cause himself 
to be urged either more or less imperiously to do 
good or evil, are his actions, also, submitted to the 
same fatality? Does he do good or ill by irresis- 
tible impulses? or does his organisation permit 
him a voluntary determination? Are actions 
evidence of merit or demerit ? 
It is important, that I should put this subject 
in the clearest light; and as there result from it 
the most important practical consequences, I shall 
treat it with peculiar attention and perfect frank- 
ness. May my readers bring to the examination 
the same love of truth, which will guide me in the 
whole of this great discussion ! 
Free Wi. 
Free will has always been the stumbling-block 
of most of the philosophers. A great number have 
succeeded, by force of reasoning, in proving that 
all which happens, happens necessarily ; and as 
all actions are the necessary consequence of pre- 
ceding ones, in the same manner as an effect is 
the necessary consequence of a cause, they have 
concluded from this necessity—from this relation 
between cause and effect—that there can be no 
voluntary act, and have, therefore, denied all 
liberty. Others, on the contrary, have made a 
romance of the nature of man, and, comparing 
him to the Deity, have assigned to him liberty 
without bounds. Others, again, think that they 
see freedom, where there exists in fact nothing 
but its image. A few only have regarded free 
will in its true and correct point of view. 
Whether we allow too much or too little liberty 
to man, we shall always do wrong to morality ; 
and the judgments we form on our own actions, 
and those of others, will even lead to error. Itis, 
therefore, important to clear up this obscurity ; 
and to determine to what extent a man in pos- 
session of his faculties, enjoys the power of 
choosing between such and such an action. 
