Summary

Medal depicting an Illustration of Science and Philosophy, Phrenology, Great Britain, 1828 AD.

Both sides of the medal provide a numbered guide to 35 of the psychological characteristics attributed to parts of the human skull, by phrenologists, for example 16 Conscientiousness, 17 Hope, 18 Marvellousness.

Phrenology is a pseudoscience which involves the measurement of bumps on the skull to predict mental traits. It developed in the nineteenth century, when it was already regarded as a pseudoscience.
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Mint: Thomason's, Birmingham under the direction of Sir Edward Thomason.

Physical Description

Round dull white metal medal.

Obverse Description

The obverse depicts, at centre within a circle, a human head facing left. The head is marked with numbered sections (1-18) which correspond with numbered characteristics which are inscribed around the border. The border is divided into six sections. The sections each contain a list of three numbered characteristics.

Reverse Description

The reverse depicts, at centre within a circle, a human head front view. The head is marked with numbered sections (19-35) which correspond with numbered characteristics which are inscribed around the border. The border is divided into seven sections. The top section is inscribed PHRENOLOGY, and the other sections each contain a list of three numbered characteristics (except for the last which contains two). Artist's name around below.

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