Calliper used to measure head size

Phrenological calliper, possibly nickel-plated brass Phrenological calliper, possibly nickel-plated brass Phrenological calliper, possibly nickel-plated brass Phrenological calliper, possibly nickel-plated brass Phrenological calliper, possibly nickel-plated brass

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

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Phrenological calliper, possibly nickel-plated brass
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London

Phrenological calliper, possibly nickel-plated brass
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Phrenological calliper, possibly nickel-plated brass
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Phrenological calliper, possibly nickel-plated brass
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Phrenological calliper, possibly nickel-plated brass
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Phrenological calliper(?), possibly nickel-plated brass, from the British Phrenological Society, by Arnold and Sons, London.

Not much is known about this instrument. It is thought that it was used by phrenologists to take accurate measurements of the head. Phrenology was a practice based on the belief that personality could be read from the bumps and lumps of someone’s skull (and thus the underlying structure of the brain). Made by Arnold & Sons, surgical instrument makers, the callipers were once owned by the British Phrenological Society. Founded in 1886, the Society closed in 1967.

Details

Category:
Psychology, Psychiatry & Anthropometry
Object Number:
1999-395
Measurements:
closed: 20 mm x 237 mm x 140 mm, .2 kg
fully open: 20 mm x 345 mm x 175 mm, .2 kg
type:
callipers
credit:
Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine