Record Number: 12977

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

[Having heard some lectures on Spurzheim's ideas] 'I have since looked into the Dr's book, and if possible the case is worse. Certainly, it is not true, that, our intellectual & moral & physical powers are jumbled in such huge disorder - surely it will be marvellous if these powers can be defined and estimated with such Mathematical precision, from the size & figure of the scull; but it is very silly to say that Spurzhiem has demonstrated all this - Spurzhiem has demonstrated nothing; -for any thing he knows to the contrary, the faculties of the soul are to be ascertained from the figure & size of the abdomen - if the venerable science of palmistry is not to be revived - It is in vain to rail against the opposition shewn to novelties?the doctrine is not to be rejected for its novelty, but for its want of truth'

Century:

1800-1849

Date:

Between 1 Mar 1817 and 31 Mar 1817

Country:

Scotland

Time

n/a

Place:

city: Kirkcaldy

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Thomas Carlyle

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

4 Dec 1795

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Teacher, later man of letters

Religion:

Christian

Country of Origin:

Scotland

Country of Experience:

Scotland

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Johann Spurzheim

Title:

[work on phrenology]

Genre:

Science, Medicine

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

12977

Source:

Print

Author:

n/a

Editor:

Charles Richard Sanders

Title:

The Collected Letters of Thomas and Jane Welsh Carlyle

Place of Publication:

Durham, NC

Date of Publication:

1970

Vol:

I

Page:

96

Additional Comments:

Letter to Robert Mitchell

Citation:

Charles Richard Sanders (ed.), The Collected Letters of Thomas and Jane Welsh Carlyle (Durham, NC, 1970), I, p. 96, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/RED/record_details.php?id=12977, accessed: 28 March 2023

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Additional Comments:

None