Mark Twain Debunked Phrenology - Article Example

In the article, Snaring the Fowler; Mark Twain Debunks Phrenology, we find that Lorenzo Niles Fowler had gained celebrity status by reading people’s minds using phrenology. Many people of that time were of the belief that phrenology had the capability of explaining the totality of human experience. They wrote books that described the various ways in which phrenology can be applied, for example; to know the qualities of an employee or a potential mate (Lopez).
Mark Twain was not fazed by the claims and testimonies lavished upon phrenology. He used a simple single-blind reliability test to note whether the practice was accurate in reading one’s personality. He visited Fowler’s offices for reading in 1872 or 1873; he was disguised. Twain notes how Fowler examined bumps on his head to come up with positive qualities like; courage, the spirit of daring, and fearlessness (Lopez).On the other side of his head, Fowler found cavities and used them to counter Twain’s positive personality traits. For instance, Fowler found a cavity of Twain’s skull and concluded that he lacked a sense of humor. He found a “courage” bump, but it was canceled out by a cavity that showed a timid trait.
Further research has to lead to the discovery of neurons. They contain dendrites, axons, and myelin that enable the neuron to send messages after stimulation. Scientists have found out that neurotransmitters influence our moods, mental abilities, and memories, not bumps on our skulls (Myers). Read More