Article ID: CBB824297123

The Promotion of Phrenology in New South Wales, 1830–1850, at the Sydney Mechanics School of Arts (2020)

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Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia, began as a penal colony in 1788. British phrenologists would later show an intense interest in this new settlement, aroused by questions raised by convict transportation and indigenous assimilation into European culture. A more sinister engagement involved the scientific trafficking of Aboriginal skulls. This practice was seen, however, not as body snatching but as a meaningful contribution to the progress of science. In 1833, a group of educated, influential men formed the Sydney Mechanics School of Arts (SMSA). This organization was successful where previously learned societies had failed. These men aimed to see the diffusion of scientific and useful knowledge throughout the colony and to enhance the lot of the working man (mechanics). They planned to achieve this aim with lectures, demonstration classes, and the development of a library and museum. Phrenology fitted perfectly into their curriculum. From 1838 to the late 1840s, many of Sydney Town’s prominent medical practitioners and other professionals delivered lectures promoting this “science.” However, interest in the study of phrenology at the SMSA waned from the 1850s, when itinerant phrenologists turned the practice into a popular entertainment.

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Article Paul Eling; Stanley Finger (2020) Gall and Phrenology: New perspectives. Journal of the History of the Neurosciences (pp. 1-4). unapi

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Authors & Contributors
Sinha, Nitin
Gibson, Mary Ellis
Wisnicki, Adrian S
Wagner, Kim A.
Tilley, Helen
Steinmetz, George
Concepts
Colonialism
Great Britain, colonies
Cross-cultural interaction; cultural influence
Science and race
Science and culture
Museums
Time Periods
19th century
20th century, early
20th century
18th century
Places
Great Britain
India
Africa
Egypt
Persia (Iran)
Bengal (India)
Institutions
British Museum
British East India Company
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