Boston Phrenological Society
Portrait of Spurzheim by Alvan Fisher (Harvard Medical School)
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| Formation | 17 November 1832 |
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| Founder | Nahum Capen |
| Purpose | "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." |
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Membership (1835)
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127 |
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Official language
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English |
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Key people
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Rev. John Pierpont, William B. Fowle, J. F. Flagg MD |
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Main organ
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The Annals of Phrenology |
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 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 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. In 1835, the society reported having 127 members. 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
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. 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 and personal anecdotes, Society writers defended the relevance of phrenology to social welfare and mission work, and discussed its harmony with Christianity. The journal also published reprints of contemporary European phrenology literature and phrenology news.
In 1838, The Boston Phrenological Society published a monograph tribute to Spurzheim.
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