George Combe
George Combe
================
Full Name and Common Aliases
--------------------------------
George Combe was a Scottish phrenologist, social reformer, and writer, commonly known as George Combe (1788-1858).
Birth and Death Dates
-------------------------
Born: June 28, 1788, in Edinburgh, Scotland
Died: September 10, 1858
Nationality and Profession(s)
---------------------------------
Nationality: Scottish
Profession(s): Phrenologist, Social Reformer, Writer
Early Life and Background
------------------------------
George Combe was born on June 28, 1788, in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was the son of a wealthy merchant family and received a good education from his father, who was an ardent advocate for social reform. From an early age, George showed a keen interest in mathematics, literature, and philosophy.
In 1803, Combe began to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh, graduating with a degree in 1807. During this time, he became fascinated with phrenology, a pseudoscientific theory that claimed to determine an individual's character by analyzing their skull shape.
Major Accomplishments
-------------------------
Combe is best known for his work on phrenology and its applications in understanding human behavior. He was one of the first scientists to promote the idea that character traits were linked to specific regions of the brain, rather than being determined by heredity or environment.
In 1824, Combe published "On the Employment of the Understanding in the Investigation of Mankind," a comprehensive treatise on phrenology. This work, along with his subsequent publications, helped establish phrenology as a respected scientific discipline.
Combe's other notable achievements include:
Co-founding the Edinburgh Phrenological Society (1820)
Publishing "The Constitution of Man" (1828), a detailed textbook on phrenology
Advocating for social reform through his work with prisoners and the poorNotable Works or Actions
-----------------------------
Some of Combe's most notable works include:
"On the Employment of the Understanding in the Investigation of Mankind" (1824)
"The Constitution of Man" (1828) - a comprehensive textbook on phrenology
"Notes on Human Phenology" (1838)
Combe's social reform efforts involved working with prisoners and advocating for humane treatment in prisons. He also supported the abolition of slavery.
Impact and Legacy
----------------------
George Combe's work had a significant impact on the development of phrenology, which influenced fields such as education, psychology, and sociology. Although his theories have largely been discredited by modern science, Combe remains an important figure in the history of social reform and psychological thought.
His contributions to the study of human behavior and character continue to be studied by scholars today. Additionally, his advocacy for humane treatment of prisoners helped pave the way for more progressive approaches to rehabilitation.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
-----------------------------------------
George Combe is widely quoted and remembered due to his innovative ideas on phrenology and social reform. His work continues to inspire new generations of thinkers and researchers, even if some of his theories have been discredited by modern science.
Combe's legacy serves as a testament to the power of intellectual curiosity and the importance of challenging established knowledge in pursuit of truth.
Quotes by George Combe
Fashion is not a real element of beauty in external objects; and to persons who possess a good endowment of Form, Constructiveness and Ideality, intrinsic elegance is much more pleasing and permanently agreeable, than forms of less merit, recommended merely by being new. Hence there is a beauty which never palls, and there are objects over which fashion exercises no control.
Individuals possessing moderate-sized brains easily find their proper sphere, and enjoy in it scope for all their energy. In ordinary circumstances they distinguish themselves, but they sink when difficulties accumulate around them. Persons with large brains, on the other hand, do not readily attain their appropriate place; common occurrences do not rouse or call them forth.
A tendency to resume the same mode of action at stated times is peculiarly the characteristic of the nervous system; and on this account regularity is of great consequence in exercising the moral and intellectual power. All nervous diseases have a marked tendency to observe regular periods; and the natural inclination to sleep at the approach of night is another instance of the same fact.
While some animals exhibit individual powers in higher perfection, man stands for their superior, not only in combining in his own body all the senses and faculties which they possess, but in being endowed with moral and intellectual powers which are denied to them, and which at once place him at the head of the living creation, and constitute him a moral, religious, intelligent, and responsible being.
If he had resisted he would have been slain in an instant. This, and the success of the Quakers, however, is obviously peculiar.
In Scotland, writers to the signet, whose chief occupation lies in conducting litigations, are men whose natural qualities fit them for this duty.
It used to be said of this man that he would gain any case that was in itself debateable, and depended on evidence, if he got money enough.
This class of writers comes most into contact with the barristers, because almost the exclusive occupation of the latter is to conduct litigation.
The interval allowed was only five minutes, at the end of which I resumed the lecture; but so refreshing was the effects of the brief rest and, above all, the admission of pure air, that during the second hour the attention was as completely sustained as during the first.
And if these be unprincipled agents who scruple at nothing, he will be a bold man who will deny that there are always to be found men at the bar who lend their services most cordially to back and support these agents in their most desperate cases.