Phrenology Continues On
While a professor of anatomy and physiology at Columbian College in Washington, D.C., Thomas Sewall published these two lectures to his students—one of the earliest attacks on phrenological doctrine—based on his study of the brain's anatomical structure. The marginal notes in this copy of An Examination indicate a proponent of phrenology disagreed with Sewall's conclusions.
This extended joke at the expense of phrenology passed through several editions in the mid-19th century and was published under the pseudonym of Eden Warwick. George Jabet maintains that the nose "... besides being an ornament to the face, or a convenient handle by which to grasp an impudent fellow, it is an important index to its owner's character; and that the accurate observation and minute comparison of an extensive collection of Noses of persons whose mental characteristics are known, justifies a Nasal Classification." He then proceeds to define and analyze six classes of nose, including Roman, Snub, and Celestial (or Turn-up).