“Cranioscopy” in the British Press

Abstract

What Gall proposed in Vienna, while traveling through various German cities, and after he arrived in France in 1807 was transmitted by word of mouth and by the press to other countries. In particular, his travels and doctrine were covered in British periodicals and books even before Spurzheim went to Britain in 1814. Some of these publications were translations from German and French articles, while others came directly from foreign correspondents. Further, some included commentary, whereas others did not. Those with opinions varied, with some authors coming out for or against the doctrine, while cooler heads called for more evidence and verification before it could be judged. The British press dutifully covered Gall and Spurzheim’s 1808 Mémoire to the Institut de France, and readers across the British Isles were treated to reviews of the first few volumes of their Anatomie et Physiologie du Système Nerveux, which first began to appear in 1810. Although Thomas Brown published a strongly worded attack against Gall, the British seemed to take what they read in stride. No societies were formed, no journals launched, and no leader rose up to champion the new science prior to Spurzheim’s visits.