Janet and Jim return to the 1841 catalogue and peruse the “health & science” section. You’ll learn about the field of Phenology and why you probably have never heard of the field of Phrenology.
Jim puts a few volumes and the authors in their historical context and draws parallels to the present day.
The Shelves of Yore is a production of the Nantucket Atheneum. It was written, narrated, and edited by Janet Forest and researched by Jim Borzilleri.
More on Phrenology courtesy of Jim Borzilleri
· One concept Phrenology basically got right was the localization of function in the brain. However, they went overboard in their assignment of specific traits and behaviors to a specific region, let alone its mapping on the outer skull.
· Johann Gaspar Spurzheim was a student of Franz Josef Gall. Gall tended to focus on the negative traits, while Spurzheim’s work tended to focus on the “good” behaviors, possibly to make it more appealing to a reform-minded 19th century audience.
Here is more information on Phrenology and images of the Phrenology Bust.
https://artsci.case.edu/dittrick/2015/06/18/one-lump-or-two-phrenology-diagnosed-by-the-bump/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/facing-a-bumpy-history-144497373/
https://nha.org/research/nantucket-history/history-topics/what-was-phrenology-and-what-does-it-have-to-do-with-nantucket-history/
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