ARTICLE XI.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE HULL SOCIETY FOR PHRENOLOGICAL INQUIRY.

THE Society was formed March 27, and it held its first meeting at the house of Dr C. Alderson, when an address was delivered by the President, Dr Alderson, on the cause of our associating ourselves " as a Society for Phrenological In"quiry."-(This address is published in our present Number.-EDITOR.)

The second meeting was held at Mr R. Casson's, surgeon, April 19, 1827, and, in the absence of the President, the chair was taken by Mr John Young, (the oldest surgeon in the town), who made some few observations on the superiority of the science of Phrenology.

Mr Casson read an excellent paper, and adverted to the fundamental truths of the science, as furnishing the best illustration of the poet's advice,

"Man, know thyself; all wisdom centres there.”

He adverted to some very absurd objections made in another society to the organ of Constructiveness, and exhibited the heads of a rabbit and a hare; in the former he pointed out the great development of the organ of Constructiveness, and the want of it in the latter, which is in exact agreement with their natural history, &c.

The third meeting was held at Mr R. Craven's, surgeon, May 3, 1827, Dr Alderson in the chair. Mr Craven read a paper on the dissection of the brain, and pointed out the manner or mode of doing this by the old anatomists, as being not only defective in a scientific point of view, but likely to mislead the judgment with a set of unmeaning phrases.

Two brains were procured for the occasion, the one an adult's, and the other an infant's of twelve months old. The nervous structure, the decussation of the fibres, and the unfolding of the convolutions (as in the case of hydrocephalus internus) were shown. One fact transpired more immediately connected with the Society; a section was made through the thalamus of both brains; in the adult's the fibres radiated from a centre, distributing them superiorly, laterally, anteriorly, and posteriorly; but in the infant's, the radii were only apparent anteriorly, or in the direction of Individuality, Locality, and Language.

Also a letter was read by the secretary, (addressed to the learned president.) It contained a post-mortem examination of a gentleman who retained his mere animal senses, but who lost all power of ratiocination, and died insane. The affec tive organs were nearly disorganized in consequence of a spicula of bone acting as the irritating cause; and the membranes exhibited great fulness of the vessels, and were highly inflamed.

The fourth meeting was held at Mr Sleight's, surgeon, May 17, 1827, Dr Alderson in the chair, who made some remarks on two casts taken by Mr Levison (at his request) from two children. One was troubled with fits, and had a large portion of brain on one side, amounting to a deformity; and the other was a hydrocephalic patient. In the latter the enlargement was most remarkable in the region of Secretiveness and Cautiousness, but had evidently decreased since the doctor's professional attendance. The use, he said, of taking casts would be to enable us to observe the progress of development of the organs, and mark the degree of their functional activity, and how far they would be modified and influenced by education and other moral causes.

Mr G. Combe of Edinburgh was proposed as an honorary member by Mr Levison, "in testimony of esteem for his "very splendid talents, and the ardour he has evinced in proVOL. IV.-No XVI.

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"mulgating the science of Phrenology," &c. which was unanimously carried without going to ballot.

The Rev. John Blézard was proposed a member of the Society, and admitted unanimously!

An excellent paper was then read by Mr Sandwith, surgeon, of Beverley. He gave a comprehensive view of the nervous system of the whole animal kingdom, and pointed out the peculiarities of each, with the corresponding function. -(This able essay forms the first article in the present Number.-EDITOR.)

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The fifth meeting was held at Mr Edward Munton's, surgeon, and, in the absence of the president, the chair was taken by Dr Turnbull.

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Mr Munton read a paper on the science of Phrenology, and cleared away the unphilosophical charges of materialism, &c. He adverted to Dr Ferriar's cases, which had been eited by a gentleman (a surgeon opposed to the science) in another society, who also made use of the following case, as being one which would give a quietus to Phrenology, viz., "That a young woman received a blow at the back of the head, "when some of the brain was effused, so that the organs of "Amativeness were destroyed, but that she afterwards became a "fille de joie, and therefore the science must be very absurd.” Mr M. then adverted to the impossibility of the cerebellum being injured by external violence, (and this was the organ of physical love), as it is secured by the tentorium internally, and several powerful muscles externally, as the trapezeus, complexus, splenius, &c. which are inserted in 'the ridge of the os occipitis above, considerably superior to the situation of the cerebellum. He then adverted to the post-mortem examination of Lord Byron, which, he observed, was in itself a tower of strength in favour of our science, and concluded with some warm eulogiums on the founders, Drs Gall and Spurzheim.

Dr Allen of London was then proposed as an honorary member by Mr Casson, and unanimously admitted.

Mr Hardey stated, that he had found in children in whom the organ of Cautiousness was large, that they invariably were a long time before they went alone, and those in whom it was small, with large Firmness, it was vice versa.

: The sixth meeting of the Society was held at Mr R. Hardey's, surgeon, June 14, 1827, Dr Alderson in the chair. The president observed, that, in animals having the sense of smelling very acute, there was a greater surface of membrane provided for the ramification of the olfactory nerve; the same applied to the eye; when that organ exercised an intensity of vision, the optic nerve was folded in plaits to form the retina He therefore suggested that observations should be made on the convolutions of different brains, in order to determine whether or not the same law applied to the organs of the encephalon, that is, whether there was not in some or-1gans a greater number of convolutions to increase the surface -for the action of the nervous process produced by their being in folds, and consequently having an increased number of fibrillæ. (This subject is treated at some length in our 14th Number EDITOR.)

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ཟ་ཞོན་་༄འི་བརྩམས ཅན སྙ་ “

"Allusion was also made by Dr Alderson to the difference in the phrenological busts of London and Edinburgh, which ... prevented us from using the same numerals instead of words to express the organs."

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Dr Elliotson of London was then proposed by Mr Levison as an honorary member, " in testimony of the Society's 15" esteem for his contributions to the science, and that he was 3ff one of the earliest defenders of the truth of the science "(and its value pathologically) in England," &c. Admitted unanimously,

A letter was read by the secretary from Mr George I, Combe, in answer to a communication made to him, which gave the Society much pleasure, as it proffered that gentleman's assistance to serve them in any of the difficulties connected with the science, &c.

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As no essay was read, the evening was concluded with a spirited and interesting conversation on the science of Phrenology. Many views were then given to illustrate the effect produced in the development of the organs by the influence of education, by the Rev. J. Blezard. Dr Alderson made some curious observations on the causes that operated to perpetuate the peculiar traits in different savages and semi-barbarian tribes. He said, that whilst the female gave the preference to some peculiarity, say the reclining forehead, &c. it would follow as a consequence, that the race would preserve all their physical distinctions and mental deficiencies. He then illustrated these remarks by adverting to the various barbarian nations of North America, Africa, &c. and concluded with an anecdote related by Mr Cookman, a missionary, who stated, that those barbarians who retained the peculiar form of head that belonged to their caste, or tribe, remained immoveable to their superstitious notions and rites, but that he could make converts of those who possessed finerdeveloped crania, that is, who were mentally superior to their

race.

The seventh meeting of the Society was held at Mr John Young's, surgeon, who took the chair in the absence of the president.

Mr Casson proposed the great and enlightened philosopher, Dr Spurzheim, as an honorary member. Mr C. communicated to him when in London, that our Society had been formed" For Phrenological Inquiry," and he, Dr S., observed," that we did right to designate ourselves inquir"ers; then we should appeal to nature for ourselves," &c.

Mr Levison informed the Society, that Dr Philip, a missionary, made a communication (through a gentleman) of a very interesting fact, viz., "that the children of the Christian "converts had anteriorly-developed crania, approximating "to the European ones." If moral causes have this effect,

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