thoughts on man-第51部分

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losopher　or　philanthropist　is　explicitly　placed　before　us；　than　for　the　credulous　inspector　or　fond　visionary　to　examine　the　lines　of　his　countenance；　and　to　point　at　the　marks　which　should　plainly　shew　us　that　he　ought　to　have　been　the　very　thing　that　he　is。　　This　is　the　very　trick　of　gipsies　and　fortune…tellers。　　But　who　ever　pointed　to　an　utter　stranger　in　the　street；　and　said；　I　perceive　by　that　man's　countenance　that　he　is　one　of　the　great　luminaries　of　the　world？　　Newton；　or　Bacon；　or　Shakespear　would　probably　have　passed　along　unheeded。　　Instances　of　a　similar　nature　occur　every　day。　　Hence　it　plainly　appears　that；　whatever　may　hereafter　be　known　on　the　subject；　we　can　scarcely　to　the　present　time　be　said　to　have　overstepped　the　threshold。　　And　yet　nothing　can　be　more　certain　than　that　there　is　a　science　of　physiognomy；　though　to　make　use　of　an　illustration　already　cited；　it　has　not　to　this　day　been　extricated　out　of　the　block　of　marble　in　which　it　is　hid。　　Human　passions；　feelings　and　modes　of　thinking　leave　their　traces　on　the　countenance：　　but　we　have　not；　thus　far；　left　the　dame's　school　in　this　affair；　and　are　not　qualified　to　enter　ourselves　in　the　free…school　for　more　liberal　enquiries。

The　writings　of　Lavater　on　the　subject　of　physiognomy　are　couched　in　a　sort　of　poetic　prose；　overflowing　with　incoherent　and　vague　exclamations；　and　bearing　small　resemblance　to　a　treatise　in　which　the　elements　of　science　are　to　be　developed。　　Their　success　however　was　extraordinary；　and　it　was　probably　that　success；　which　prompted　Gall　first　to　turn　his　attention　from　the　indications　of　character　that　are　to　be　found　in　the　face　of　man；　to　the　study　of　the　head　generally；　as　connected　with　the　intellectual　and　moral　qualities　of　the　individual。

It　was　about　four　years　before　the　commencement　of　the　present　century；　that　Gall　appears　to　have　begun　to　deliver　lectures　on　the　structure　and　external　appearances　of　the　human　head。　　He　tells　us；　that　his　attention　was　first　called　to　the　subject　in　the　ninth　year　of　his　age　（that　is；　in　the　year　1767）；　and　that　he　spent　thirty　years　in　the　private　meditation　of　his　system；　before　he　began　to　promulgate　it。　　Be　that　as　it　will；　its　most　striking　characteristic　is　that　of　marking　out　the　scull　into　compartments；　in　the　same　manner　as　a　country　delineated　on　a　map　is　divided　into　districts；　and　assigning　a　different　faculty　or　organ　to　each。　　In　the　earliest　of　these　diagrams　that　has　fallen　under　my　observation；　the　human　scull　is　divided　into　twenty…seven　compartments。

I　would　say　of　craniology；　as　I　have　already　said　of　physiognomy；　that　there　is　such　a　science　attainable　probably　by　man；　but　that　we　have　yet　made　scarcely　any　progress　in　the　acquiring　it。　　As　certain　lines　in　the　countenance　are　indicative　of　the　dispositions　of　the　man；　so　it　is　reasonable　to　believe　that　a　certain　structure　of　the　head　is　in　correspondence　with　the　faculties　and　propensities　of　the　individual。

Thus　far　we　may　probably　advance　without　violating　a　due　degree　of　caution。　　But　there　is　a　wide　distance　between　this　general　statement；　and　the　conduct　of　the　man　who　at　once　splits　the　human　head　into　twenty…seven　compartments。

The　exterior　appearance　of　the　scull　is　affirmed　to　correspond　with　the　structure　of　the　brain　beneath。　　And　nothing　can　be　more　analogous　to　what　the　deepest　thinkers　have　already　confessed　of　man；　than　to　suppose　that　there　is　one　structure　of　the　brain　better　adapted　for　intellectual　purposes　than　another。　　There　is　probably　one　structure　better　adapted　than　another；　for　calculation；　for　poetry；　for　courage；　for　cowardice；　for　presumption；　for　diffidence；　for　roughness；　for　tenderness；　for　self…control　and　the　want　of　it。　　Even　as　some　have　inherently　a　faculty　adapted　for　music　or　the　contrary＇40＇。

＇40＇　See　above；　Essay　II。


But　it　is　not　reasonable　to　believe　that　we　think　of　calculation　with　one　portion　of　the　brain；　and　of　poetry　with　another。

It　is　very　little　that　we　know　of　the　nature　of　matter；　and　we　are　equally　ignorant　as　to　the　substance；　whatever　it　is；　in　which　the　thinking　principle　in　man　resides。　　But；　without　adventuring　in　any　way　to　dogmatise　on　the　subject；　we　find　so　many　analogies　between　the　thinking　principle；　and　the　structure　of　what　we　call　the　brain；　that　we　cannot　but　regard　the　latter　as　in　some　way　the　instrument　of　the　former。

Now　nothing　can　be　more　certain　respecting　the　thinking　principle；　than　its　individuality。　　It　has　been　said；　that　the　mind　can　entertain　but　one　thought　at　one　time；　and　certain　it　is；　from　the　nature　of　attention；　and　from　the　association　of　ideas；　that　unity　is　one　of　the　principal　characteristics　of　mind。　　It　is　this　which　constitutes　personal　identity；　an　attribute　that；　however　unsatisfactory　may　be　the　explanations　which　have　been　given　respecting　it；　we　all　of　us　feel；　and　that　lies　at　the　foundation　of　all　our　voluntary　actions；　and　all　our　morality。

Analogous　to　this　unity　of　thought　and　mind；　is　the　arrangement　of　the　nerves　and　the　brain　in　the　human　body。　　The　nerves　all　lead　up　to　the　brain；　and　there　is　a　centrical　point　in　the　brain　itself；　in　which　the　reports　of　the　senses　terminate；　and　at　which　the　action　of　the　will　may　be　conceived　to　begin。　　This；　in　the　language　of　our　fathers；　was　called　the　〃seat　of　the　soul。〃

We　may　therefore；　without　departing　from　the　limits　of　a　due　caution　and　modesty；　consider　this　as　the　throne　before　which　the　mind　holds　its　court。　　Hither　the　senses　bring　in　their　reports；　and　hence　the　sovereign　will　issues　his　commands。　　The　whole　system　appears　to　be　conducted　through　the　instrumentality　of　the　nerves；　along　whose　subtle　texture　the　feelings　and　impressions　are　propagated。　　Between　the　reports　of　the　senses　and　the　commands　of　the　will；　intervenes　that　which　is　emphatically　the　office　of　the　mind；　comprising　meditation；　reflection；　inference　and　judgment。　　How　these　functions　are　performed　we　know　not；　but　it　is　reasonable　to　believe　that　the　substance　of　the　brain　or　of　some　part　of　the　brain　is　implicated　in　them。

Still　however　we　must　not　lose　sight　of　what　has　been　already　said；　that　in　the　action　of　the　mind　unity　is　an　indispensible　condition。　　Our　thoughts　can　only　hold　their　council　and　form　their　decrees　in　a　very　limited　region。　　This　is　their　retreat　and　strong　hold；　and　the　special　use　and　functions　of　the　remoter　parts　of　the　brain　we　are　unable　to　determine；　so　utterly　obscure　and　undefined　is　our　present　knowledge　of　the　great　ligament　which　binds　together　the　body　and　the　thinking　principle。

Enough　however　results　from　this　imperfect　view　of　the　ligament；　to　demonstrate　the　incongruity　and　untenableness　of　a　doctrine　which　should　assign　the　indications　of　different　functions；　exercises　and　propensities　of　the　mind　to　the　exterior　surface　of　the　scull　or　the　brain。　　This　is　quackery；　and　is　to　be　classed　with　chiromancy；　augury；　astrology；　and　the　rest　of　those　schemes　for　discovering　the　future　and　unknown；　which　the　restlessness　and　anxiety　of　the　human　mind　have　invented；　built　upon　arbitrary　principles；　blundered　upon　in　the　dark；　and　having　no　resemblance　to　the　march　of　genuine　science。　　I　find　in　sir　Thomas　Browne　the　following　axioms　of　chiromancy：　　〃that　spots　in　the　tops　of　the　nails　do　signifie　things　past；　in　the　middle；　things　present；　and　at　the　bottom；　events　to　come：　　that　white　specks　presage　our　felicity；　blue　ones　our　misfortunes：　　that　those　in　the　nails　of　the　thumb　have　significations　of　honour；　in　the　forefinger；　of　riches；　and　so　respectively　in　the　rest。〃

Science；　to　be　of　a　high　and　satisfactory　character；　ought　to　consist　of　a　deduction　of　causes　and　effects；　shewing　us　not　merely　that　a　thing　is　so；　but　why　it　is　as　it　is；　and　cannot　be　otherwise。　　The　rest　is　merely　empirical；　and；　though　the　narrowness　of　human　wit　may　often　drive　us　to　this；　yet　it　is　essentially　of　a　lower　order　and　description。　　As　it　depends　for　its　authority　upon　an　example；　or　a　number　of　examples；　so　examples　of　a　contrary　nature　may　continually　come　in；　to　weaken　its　force；　or　utterly　to　subvert　it。　　And　the　affair　is　made　still　worse；　when　we　see；　as　in　the　case　of　craniology；　that　all　the　reasons　that　can　be　deduced　（as　here　from　the　nature　of　mind）　would　persuade　us　to　believe；　that　there　can　be　no　connection　between　the　supposed　indications；　and　the　things　pretended　to　be　indicated。

Craniology；　or　phrenology；　proceeds　exactly　in　the　same　train；　as　chiromancy；　or　any　of　those　pretended　sciences　which　are　built　merely　on　assumption　or　conjecture。　　The　first　delineations　presented　to　the　public；　marked　out；　as　I　have　said；　the　scull　into　compartments；　in　the　same　manner　as　a　country　delineated　on　a　map　is　divided　into　districts。　　Geography　is　a　real　science；　and　accordingly；　like　other　sciences；　has　been　slow　and　gradual　in　its　progress。　　At　an　early　stage　travellers　knew　little　more　than　the　shores　and　islands　of　the　Mediterranean。　　Afterwards；　they　passed　the　straits　of　Hercules；　and　entered　into　the　Atlantic。　　At　length　the　habitable　world　was　distributed　into　three　parts；　Europe；　Asia；　and　Africa。　　More　recently；　by　many　centuries；　came　the　discovery　of　America。　　It　is　but　the　other　day　comparatively；　that　we　found　the　extensive　island　of　New　Holland　in　the　Southern　Ocean。　　The　ancient　geographers　placed　an　elephant　or　some　marine　monster　in　the　vacant　parts　of　their　maps；　to　signify　that　of　these　parts　they　knew　nothing。　　Not　so　Dr。　　Gall。　　Every　part　of　his　globe　of　the　human　Scull；　at　least　with　small　exceptions；　is　fully　tenanted；　and　he；　with　his　single　arm；　has　conquered　a　world。

The　majority　of　the　judgments　that　have　been　divulged　by　the　professors　of　this　science；　have　had　for　their　subjects　the　sculls　of　men；　whose　habits　and　history　have　been　already　known。　　And　yet　with　this　advantage　the　errors　and　contradictions　into　which　their　authors　have　fallen　are　considerably　numerous。　　Thus　I　find；　in　the　account　of　the　doctor's　visit　to　the　House　of　Correction　and　the　Hospital　of　Torgau　in　July　1805；　the　following　examples。

〃Every　person　was　desirous　to　know　what　Dr。　Gall　would　say　about　T；　who　was　known　in　the　house　as　a　thief　full　of　cunning；　and　who；　having　several　times　made　his　escape；　wore　an　additiona