Although the name of GALL, as the discoverer of the physiology of the brain, must ever stand alone and pre-eminent, it cannot be denied that to Dr Spurzheim belongs the all but equal glory of having consolidated and reduced to a scientific form the materials collected by his great instructor. In the physiological and philosophical department, Dr Spurzheim applied himself most successfully to the elucidation of a great number of the fundamental powers of the mind, and did much in pointing out the special and primary faculties connected with many of the individual organs whose manifestations had been ascertained by Dr Gall. In another important branch of the science, namely, its connexion with the anatomy of the brain, the merit of discovery must, doubtless, be conceded to Dr Spurzheim. He has stated in the Appendix to the Essai Philosophique," that it is he who has made all the anatomical investigations, and has given its form and consistence to the anatomical part of the system." He farther mentions, that, during the various journeys which he made in company with Dr Gall, it was he who kept a record of their observations; that the designs for the anatomical plates in the great work published under their joint names, were all made under his superintendence, from preparations made and pointed out by himself; that the plates themselves were corrected under his direction; and that the written descriptions, and all the anatomical details, were furnished by him. Some additional remarks on this subject will be found in the preface to his work on the Anatomy of the Brain. In these two works, to use his own expression, he "settled his anatomical account with Dr Gall," by whom his statements were never contradicted. Without entering farther into the details of this subject, we may refer the reader, for additional information, to the second volume of this Journal, p. 185, and also to vol. v. pp. 305, 422, and vol. vi. pp. 307, 309*. In the two last articles referred to, Dr Spurzheim asserts his own claims; and the following quotation, though it

The reader may also look into the Foreign Quarterly Review, ii. 21; and at the Introduction to Spurzheim's "Observations sur la Phrenologie.”

1

formerly appeared in our pages, gives so comprehensive an account of his improvements and discoveries, and is so short, that little apology is necessary for inserting it again on this appropriate occasion:

:

"Dr Gall, being the first founder of Phrenology, remains immortal. The success of his labours, too, was immense he discovered the situation of twenty-six phrenological organs; I say twenty-six, instead of twenty-seven, because his organ of verbal memory and that of language are to be considered as one. But his talent and the sphere of its operation had their limits, and, since our separation in 1813, Dr Gall has made neither a new discovery in Phrenology, nor a step towards its improvement."" The whole of the physiological doctrines, as expressed by Dr Bischoff) and Mr Bloede in 1805, are Dr Gall's exclusive property; but every new addition from that period up to 1813, belongs to us in common, because we pursued our inquiries together.

"My special rectifications of Phrenology and new physiological discoveries, begin with our separation from each other in 1813. They concern particularly the discovery of eight new organs, and the analysis of the special powers of the mind; whilst Dr Gall mostly confined himself to the comparison of talents, characters, and certain modes of acting, with individual cerebral portions. He admitted in every power of the mind the same modes of action, for instance, perception, memory, judgment, and imagination; whilst I classify the mental powers into orders, genera, and species, and examine the common and special modes of acting of the different faculties. Further, Dr Gall ascribed to the senses the notions which the mind acquires of existence, and of the physical qualities of external objects, whilst I think those operations of the mind to be dependent on cerebral organs. I therefore speak of immediate and mediate functions of the external senses: in the former, the mind takes cognizance by the assistance of the senses alone; in the latter, it is assisted, besides the senses, by cerebral organs. In general, my philosophical views in Phrenology differ widely from those of Dr Gall. The moral and religious considerations of phrenology, too, as they are taught in Great Britain, are conceptions of mine. Dr Gall never endeavoured to point out the standard of natural morality.-In the natural language I discovered several principles in addition to that found by Dr Gall: that the movements of the head, body, and extremities, are modified by the seat of the organs in action. Moreover, in the practical part of Phrenology, and in examining the development of the special organs, I began to pay more attention to the

*) We intend to take an early opportunity of noticing Bischoff's work,Darstellung der Gallschen Gehirn-und Schädel-Lehre. Berlin, 1805.

breadth of the organs than Dr Gall was accustomed to do, and directed phrenologists to attend to the individual regions of the head, in reference to the three lobes of the brain, and to the three regions of the animal propensities, the human sentiments, and intellectual faculties, rather than to the protuberances and depressions to which Dr Gall attached himself almost exclusively. In short, the comparison of Dr Gall's works with my publications on Phrenology, on its philosophical principles; on education; insanity, and other matters, will best shew how much I have contributed to extend and improve Phrenology, and to forward its study *

We conclude with the following extract from the speech of Mr Combe, on proposing the health of Dr Spurzheim at the dinner formerly mentioned, given to him by the Phrenological Society, at Edinburgh, on the 25th of January 1828. The sentiments which it embodies will find an echo in the breast of every reader who has had the felicity of enjoying the personal acquaintance of Dr Spurzheim, or who is able to appreciate the mighty importance of the truths unfolded in his works.

On a former occasion, I have said, how would we rejoice to sit at table with Galileo, Harvey, or Newton, and to pay them the homage of our gratitude and respect; and yet we have the felicity to be now in company with an individual whose name will rival theirs in brilliancy and duration; to whom ages unborn will look with fond admiration, as the first great champion of this magnificent discovery; as the partner in honour, in courage, and in toil, with Dr Gall; as the rival in genius of him by whose master-mind the science of man started into existence. Dr Spurzheim, gentlemen, is an historical personage ;—a glory dwells on that brow which will never wax dim, and which will one day illuminate the civilized world. His greatness is all moral and intellectual. Like the sun of a long and resplendent day, Dr Spurzheim at his rising was obscured by the mists of prejudice and envy, but in ascending he has looked down upon and dispelled them. His reputation has become brighter and brighter as men have gazed upon and scrutinized his doctrines and his life. No violence and no anguish tarnish the laurels that flourish on his brow. The recollections of his labours are all elevating and ennobling; and in our applause he hears not the voice of a vain adulation, but a feeble overture to a grand strain of admiration, which a grateful posterity will one day sound to his name."

Note 3. by Dr Spurzheim to the reprint of "Phrenology, Article of the Foreign Quarterly Review, by Richard Chenevix, Esq. F. R. S., &c. Lon don, 1830.” The Notes to this publication were reprinted in our sixth volume, p. 304.

ARTICLE IV.

CASE OF MORBID ACTIVITY OF DESTRUCTIVENESS. Communicated by Dr OTTO of Copenhagen.

In his "Magazine für Gerichtliche Arzneykunde,” vol. i. No. 3. 1831, Dr Wildberg relates the following remarkable case: A plethoric man of letters, fifty-one years old, who for some time had suffered from indigestion, blind piles, obstipation, and other disorders of the bowels, and at the same time had frequent congestions of blood in the head, which manifested themselves by frequent headach, fell gradually into a deep hypochondriac state, which made him almost unable to follow his ordinary literary pursuits. His eldest daughter, a girl seventeen years old, whom he loved most tenderly, was the only one who was able now and then to disperse his gloomy thoughts and to exhilarate him; and she was therefore accustomed to visit him frequently in his room, and to walk out with him.

One day, when she had gone to his room as usual, the horrible thought to murder her suddenly arose in his mind. He was himself so much frightened by this, that he most earnestly entreated her to leave him. As soon as he found himself alone, he burst into tears, and was for a long time unable to compose himself, until he took the resolution, on the immediately following day, to make a journey, in order to relax his mind. He returned after five days, in somewhat better spirits; but, as soon as his daughter made her appearance again, the same horrible thought to kill her seized him, and arose every time he saw her, however much, as a religious man and a tender father, he shrunk from the idea. He now removed every thing which might hurt her, and carefully avoided being alone with her. Notwithstanding this, the dreadful thought returned every time he saw her; and the abhorrence that always accompanied it increased his sufferings exceedingly. He prayed frequently to God, that he might be strengthened and freed from this torture of mind. Frequently he hurried out of the house, and strolled about for a long time. He lost his appetite, and had restless nights, disturbed by frightful dreams. At last he had recourse to Dr Wildberg, and told him all his misery. Dr Wildberg found all his intellectual faculties sound. He persuaded the daughter under some pretext to leave the house for a short period, and ordered the patient medicines fitted to act upon the languid and obstructed state of the bowels; and after the lapse of eight days the man was better, and longed for his beloved daughter. She did not return, however, till after other eight days," and I was then (says Dr Wildberg) a witness to the affecting joy with which the father received her." From this time the dreadful thought never again arose, and he spoke frequently of having

been in a most painful situation, when the impulse to kill struggled with his aversion to the deed.

Who does not see here a disordered Destructiveness, brought into morbid activity by congestion of the blood in the head, which, again, was produced by the obstructed state of the bowels, and ceased with its removal? The organs of the Intellectual Faculties, of the Moral Sentiments, and of the Domestic Affections, remained perfectly sound: hence the clear perception which the patient had of the unhappy propensity under which he laboured, and hence the strenuous efforts made to resist it. How are cases like the foregoing (and their number is very great) reconcileable with the notion that the whole brain is employed in the manifestation of each individual faculty ?

ARTICLE V.

ON THE AMERICAN SCHEME OF ESTABLISHING COLONIES OF FREE NEGRO EMIGRANTS ON THE COAST OF AFRICA, AS EXEMPLIFIED IN LIBERIA.

It is a direct consequence of the ignorance which prevails in society of sound practical principles of human nature and its relations, that, in public affairs, controversy takes the place of deliberation, decision, and action. Till such principles shall be adopted and acknowledged as standards, the schemes and doings of man must, from their first conception to their last consequences, be an inextricable mass of disputation,-a chaos of conflicting impulses, feelings, and prejudices. The business of the most enlightened legislature is debate; and parties marshal themselves for combat, each in its own impregnable position, from no two of which do social and national affairs present an aspect approaching to similarity. In Mr Combe's work on " the Constitution of Man, considered in relation to external objects," which offers the practical philosophy for human guidance which is so lamentably wanted, but which is making its way to an assured prevalence, there is a passage strongly impressed on our mind. "We require only," says Mr Combe," to attend to the scenes daily presenting themselves in society, to obtain irresistible demonstration of the consequences resulting from the want of a true theory of human nature and its relations. Every preceptor in schools, every professor in colleges, every author, editor, and pamphleteer, every member of parliament, councillor, and judge, has a set of notions of his own, which, in his mind, hold the place of a system of the philosophy of man; and although he may not have methodized his ideas, or even acknowledged them to himself as a theory, yet they constitute a standard to him, by which he practically judges of all questions in morals, politics, and religion;

VOL. VIII-NO. XXXV.

K