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The Boston Phrenological Society was formed in 1832 upon the death of a prominent continental phrenologist, Johann Gaspar Spurzheim. Spurzheim was an anatomist and a former pupil of Franz Josef Gall. Spurzheim's brief tour and death popularized phrenology in the United States outside of its controversial place in medical lecture halls, and into the sphere of social reformers and ministers. The Society's formation launched the phrenology movement in the United States. The Boston Phrenological Society was founded by phrenology adherent Nahum Capen〔 (American Series of Popular Biographies. Massachusetts Edition. This Volume Contains Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Boston: Graves & Steinbarger, 1891. )〕 on the day of Spurzheim's funeral, November 17, 1832.〔 〔 The Society was founded, wrote Capen, "for the purpose of investigating the principles of Phrenology, and to ascertain the bearings of the science upon the physical, moral and intellectual condition of man." p 140〔 ( Spurzheim, J. G., Capen, N., & Stanton A. Friedberg, M.D. (1833). ''Phrenology in connexion with the study of physiognomy: Illustration of characters, with thirty-five plates.'' Boston: Marsh, Capen & Lyon )〕 Its first meeting, December 31, 1832, was held on Spurzheim's birthday. (same pg) Ninety members were in attendance. Society officers included: Nahum Capen, Rev. John Pierpont, William B. Fowle, J. F. Flagg MD, John Flint MD, Jonathan Barber, J.G. Stevenson and S.G. Howe.〔 Catalogue of the Library, Boston Society of Natural History, Vol 1, 1837.〕〔()〕 In 1835, the society reported having 127 members.〔(511) The Phrenological Journal and Miscellany, Volume 10〕 At the 1839 anniversary meeting of the Society, George Combe delivered a talk in which he described the inactivity of the society, and invited members to concentrate on the teaching of phrenology to children, to develop their sense of Christian morality through an awareness of the connection between the mind and body〔p 234, The Phrenological Journal and Science of Health: Incorporated with the Phrenological Magazine, Volume 2, fowler and wells 〕 ==''The Annals of Phrenology''== The Boston Phrenological Society commenced publishing a quarterly journal, ''The Annals of Phrenology'' in 1833. The editor, Rev. Nahum Capen, credited Spurzheim's visit to America as the inspiration for the journal. The editors hoped to inspire the rise of American phrenologist practitioners to rival those of Europe.〔(Annals of Phrenology, Volume 1. Nahum Capen. Marsh, Capen & Lyon., 1834. title page and p 34, 35. )〕 The articles of the Annals contained detailed rebuttals to skeptics of phrenology (494), detailing the Society's disagreement with articles in such journals as the Christian Examiner and the New England Magazine. Through cases〔(Annals of Phrenology, Volume 1. Nahum Capen. Marsh, Capen & Lyon., 1834 )〕 and personal anecdotes,〔(vol 1 〕 Society writers defended the relevance of phrenology to social welfare and mission work, and discussed its harmony with Christianity.〔The Phrenological Journal and Miscellany p. 235〕 The journal also published reprints of contemporary European phrenology literature〔(vol 2)〕 and phrenology news.〔(509)〕 In 1838, The Boston Phrenological Society published a monograph tribute to Spurzheim.〔 Reminiscences of Dr. Spurzheim and George Combe: And a Review of the Science of Phrenology, from the Period of Its Discovery by Dr. Gall, to the Time of the Visit of George Combe to the United States〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Boston Phrenological Society」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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