phrenology

(fren-ol'o-jl) [G. phren, mind, -H -ology.] The doctrine that each of the mental faculties is located in a definite part of the cerebral cortex, the size of which part varies in a direct ratio with the development of the corresponding faculty, this size being indicated by the external configuration of the skull. this theory it would be po ible to determine one's mental characteristics by an examination of the prominences on the skull.