Phrenology Head Lamp
At the beginning of the 19th century Austrian anatomist Franz Joseph Gall had an idea. He suggested that psychological traits such as intelligence, memory and affection were located in different parts of the brain. By inspecting the skull he could predict the distinctive character of an individual. This practice came to be known as Phrenology. By the 1860’s L.N. Fowler had created a porcelain bust which he used as a reference guide in his Phrenological practice in London. The phrenology head went on to become an iconic tool of the medical profession and such busts became ubiquitous in Victorian doctors’ practices across Great Britain. Gall's idea went on to inspire others to make further studies of the mind, which would ultimately and somewhat ironically prove the downfall of his own theories. Despite this, Phrenological thinking became integral to the development of psychiatry, forensic medicine, psychology and modern neuroscience. Gall's big idea that character traits, thoughts and emotions were located in localised parts of the brain is now considered an important historical advance towards our current understanding of how the brain works.
The Phrenology lamp is a testament to the power of ideas, no matter how big or small, good or bad, practical or implausible. For it is these fleeting moments of enlightenment that have enabled mankind to build the impossible, understand the incomprehensible and to live twice as long in a world unimaginable to our great-great-great-grandparents. Our ideas not only sustain life - they enhance it by illuminating our understanding of the world and our place within it.
