Fowler on Matrimony; Or, Phrenology and Physiology, Applied to the Selectionof Suitable Companions for Life

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1841 edition. Excerpt: ... FOWLER ON MATRIMONY. Man is eminently a social being. This truth is proclaimed both by his disposition to congregate in neighborhoods and families, and by his desire to seek company and form friendships; and also reiterated by his phrenological developements. It is a well-established principle of Phrenology, that, activity and other things being equal, the degree of enjoyment or suffering is in proportion to the amount of brain called into action. Now these social organs occupy a very large section of the brain, and hence their power over the destinies of man for good or evil, for virtue or vice, for happiness or misery. This power is still further increased by the fact that such is the location of the social organs, such their physical relation to every other portion of the brain, that when inflamed, fevered, dissatisfied, or irritated, they inflame every other portion of the brain, throwing it into violent commotion, especially the animal propensities; but if their action is natural, if they are properly placed, they put to rest the other animal propensities. It is in accordance with this principle, that whoever has been recently crossed in love, is unfit for study, cannot improve or advantageously exercise his intellect, and finds his animal feelings deeply excited; he is irritable, out with every one, blames every one, is dissatisfied, and his whole mind thrown into commotion. Even his moral nature is disturbed, and his religious feelings thoroughly deranged. Nothing will excite Combativeness and Destructiveness to so high a pitch of indignation if not revenge, as to be cutout, or get the mitten. Of these and kindred phenomena, this principle gives the clear and only solution. Another cause of their immense power over the destinies of...