Franz Joseph Gall

From Psy3242

Franz Joseph Gall (1758-1828) was a neuroanatomist, influential in his championing of a neurological model based on the localization of brain functions. He is also well-known for creating the pseudoscience of "craniology" (from the Latin cranium "skull" and scopos "vision"), the basis for what would become known as "phrenology", a term coined by Gall's ardent follower, Johann Spurzheim. In this (unscientific) theory, the contours of the skull are supposed to be accurate indicators of one's personality. However, Gall was also responsible for advocating the (then) revolutionary idea that the brain and not the heart, is the location where mental functioning occurs. With his student, Spurzheim, he made "many important discoveries about the anatomy of the brain, its connections with the spinal cord, and its ability to control muscles" (Stirling 4).

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Interesting Trivia

- If you ever find yourself traveling to the cozy town of Baden bei Wien, Austria, the Rollet Museum located there houses a collection of the skulls Gall examined in his studies.

- Gall's father was a wealthy Roman Catholic wool merchant, and had intended for his son to enter the priesthood.