The Phrenological Journal

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Front cover of the January 1875 issue of the American Phrenological Journal, depicting five races: Indian, Malay, Caucasian, Mongolian, and Negro.

The American Phrenological Journal[A] was a periodical in the United States devoted to the racist pseudoscience of phrenology, a collection of theories correlating skull features to personality and intelligence. The newspaper was founded in 1838 and dissolved in 1911. It was supported by the phrenologist Fowler family, who published it under the auspices of the Fowler & Wells Company. Several prominent historical figures underwent phrenological analyses by the Fowlers and the findings published in the journal; these include abolitionist Lydia Maria Child and writer Mark Twain.

  1. ^ Bittel, Carla (2013). "Woman, know thyself: Producing and using phrenological knowledge in 19th-century America". Centaurus. 55 (2): 104–130. doi:10.1111/1600-0498.12015.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference letters was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Black Hawk was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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