9780190464622-0190464623-Franz Joseph Gall: Naturalist of the Mind, Visionary of the Brain

Franz Joseph Gall: Naturalist of the Mind, Visionary of the Brain

ISBN-13: 9780190464622
ISBN-10: 0190464623
Edition: 1
Author: Stanley Finger, Paul Eling
Publication date: 2019
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Format: Hardcover 584 pages
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Book details

ISBN-13: 9780190464622
ISBN-10: 0190464623
Edition: 1
Author: Stanley Finger, Paul Eling
Publication date: 2019
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Format: Hardcover 584 pages

Summary

Franz Joseph Gall: Naturalist of the Mind, Visionary of the Brain (ISBN-13: 9780190464622 and ISBN-10: 0190464623), written by authors Stanley Finger, Paul Eling, was published by Oxford University Press in 2019. With an overall rating of 4.4 stars, it's a notable title among other books. You can easily purchase or rent Franz Joseph Gall: Naturalist of the Mind, Visionary of the Brain (Hardcover) from BooksRun, along with many other new and used books and textbooks. And, if you're looking to sell your copy, our current buyback offer is $0.3.

Description

Franz Joseph Gall (1758-1828) was always a controversial figure, as was his doctrine, later called phrenology. Although often portrayed as a discredited buffoon, who believed he could assess a person's strengths and weaknesses by measuring cranial bumps, he was, in fact, a serious physician-scientist, who strove to answer timely questions about the mind, brain, and behavior. In many ways a remarkable visionary, his seminal ideas would become tenets of modern behavioral neuroscience. Among other things, he was the first scientist to promote publicly the idea of specialized cortical areas for diverse higher functions, while taking metaphysics out of his new science of mind. Moreover, although he obviously placed too much emphasis on "tell-tale" skull features (mistakenly believing that the cranium faithfully reflects the features of underlying brain areas), he fully understood the strength of "convergent operations," conducting neuroanatomical, developmental, cross-species, gender-comparison, and brain-damage studies on both humans and animals in his attempts to unravel the mysteries of brain organization.

Rather than looking upon Gall's "organology" as one of science's great mistakes, this book provides a fresh look at the man and his doctrine. The authors delve into his motives, what was known about the brain during the 1790s, and the cultural demands of his time. Gall is rightfully presented as an early-19th-century biologist, anthropologist, philosopher, and physician with an inquisitive mind and a challenging agenda--namely, how to account for species and individual differences in behavior. In this well-researched book, readers learn why, starting as a young physician in Vienna and continuing his life's work in Paris, he chose to study the mind and the brain, why he employed his various methods, why he relied so heavily on cranial features, and why he wrote what he did in his books. Frequently using Gall's own words, they show his impact in various domains, including his approach to the insane and criminals, before concluding with his final illness and more lasting legacy.

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