CRANIOLOGY AND POLYGENY

In the early 19th century, prominent scientists advanced the theory that skull size and shape was related to intelligence (craniometry) and that different races represented distinct subspecies of humanity (polygeny).

MISREADING SKULLS, HUMAN INTELLIGENCE AND SCIENTIFIC RACISM, EXAMPLES

PHRENOLOGY

Nelson Sizer, How to teach according to temperament and mental development, or, Phrenology in the school-room and the family (New York : S.R. Wells, 1877).

According to phrenologists, human behavior and emotions could be mapped to specific regions of the brain, as seen in the phrenological chart in the preceding slides.

The Popular Portrayal of Phrenology in the 19th Century

British Print, 1815, Library of Congress

Political cartoon of Whig presidential nominee Zachary

Taylor getting “his head examined” by a phrenologist,

1848

THE LEGACY OF CRANIOMETRY AND SCIENTIFIC RACISM IN THE 20TH CENTURY

An exhibit by the American Eugenics Society, 1926

PHRENOLOGY IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Today, phrenology is commonly derided as pseudoscience or depicted in a satirical or humorous light, which obscures its role in the birth of modern American psychology.