Nasology: Or Hints Towards a Classification of Noses [1] (reissued as Notes on Noses) was a 1848 book published in London under the authorship of Eden Warwick, pen name of a George Jabet, an elaborate parody on phrenology, 282 pages thick. There were several editions of the book in the mid-19th century, [2] and it was taken seriously, in press and among doctors.
George Jabet (1815–1873) was a solicitor and he was actively involved in the public life of Birmingham, being associated with many literary and educational societies of the city. In addition to Nasology, he published several other books under the pen name Eden Warwick, the first one being The poets' pleasaunce, or, Garden of all sorts of pleasant flowers (1847), [4] as its Preface says, "to illustrate the extent of homage which our best Poets, prior to the present century, have paid to Nature, in Flowers" and "it is intended to exhibit a History of the Poetry in Flowers". [5]
Nasology originated as a paper communicated to a small literary society as Handsworth, later expanded into a book. However the title proved to be unattractive, and the publisher reissued the book under the title Notes on Noses in 1859. [6] [7]
The book has a pronounced anti-scientific stance, [8] which probably did not reflect actual Jablet's views on science. [4] For example, the book jokingly criticizes the contemporary science, saying that it works for monetary gain, rather than for the advancement of knowledge, especially picking on geology: instead of "raising and elevating the mind" it facilitates "the discovery of minerals, or the boring of artesian wells". [8]
Warwick states that "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." Then the book proceeds with the latter, recognizing six main classes, with detailed analysis, [2] at the same time noting that "there are infinite crosses and intermixtures". [8]
Below is a sample description.
Class II. The Greek, or Straight Nose, is perfectly straight; any deviation from the right line must be strictly noticed. If the deviation tend to convexity, it approaches the Roman Nose, and the character is improved by an accession of energy; on the other hand, when the deviation is towards concavity, it partakes of the “Celestial,” and the character is weakened. It should be fine and well chiselled, but not sharp.
It indicates Refinement of character, Love for the fine arts and belles-lettres, Astuteness, Craft, and a preference for indirect, rather than direct action. Its owner is not without some energy in pursuit of that which is agreeable to his tastes; but, unlike the owner of the Roman Nose, he cannot exert himself in opposition to his tastes. When associated with the Roman Nose, and distended slightly at the end by the Cogitative, it indicates the most useful and intellectual of characters; and is the highest and most beautiful form which the organ can assume.
In addition, the book has chapters "Of Feminine Noses" ("The subject of Nasology would not be complete without some observations on the Feminine Nose, because sex modifies the indications, some of which, though disagreeable and repulsive in a man, are rather pleasing, fascinating, and bewitching in a woman, and vice versâ." [7] ) and "Of National Noses" ("Every nation has a characteristic Nose; and the less advanced the nation is in civilization, the more general and perceptible is the characteristic form." [7] ).
On importance of the "nasal classification", Warwick maintains: "We all acknowledge the impression given by the mind to the mouth and eyes because they express Temper and Passion - feelings which interest us in our mutual intercourse. The nose is not influenced by feelings which agitate and vary the mind. Unmovable and Unvaried." "The Nose is an important Index to Character."
Started as a parody, the "science" of nasology, it was taken seriously. During late 19th century nearly all American newspapers and many magazines, including Saturday Evening Post, Harper’s Bazaar, The New York Times, Washington Post, had articles on the topic. It also influenced real medicine and doctors. [9]
Sharrona Pearl described it as "widely read and enduring" and as an example of "tongue-in-cheek treatment of pocket physiognomy" of the 19th century. [8]
Phrenology or craniology is a pseudoscience that involves the measurement of bumps on the skull to predict mental traits. It is based on the concept that the brain is the organ of the mind, and that certain brain areas have localized, specific functions or modules. It was said that the brain was composed of different muscles, so those that were used more often were bigger, resulting in the different skull shapes. This provided reasoning for the common presence of bumps on the skull in different locations. The brain "muscles" not being used as frequently remained small and were therefore not present on the exterior of the skull. Although both of those ideas have a basis in reality, phrenology generalizes beyond empirical knowledge in a way that departs from science. The central phrenological notion that measuring the contour of the skull can predict personality traits is discredited by empirical research. Developed by German physician Franz Joseph Gall in 1796, the discipline was influential in the 19th century, especially from about 1810 until 1840. The principal British centre for phrenology was Edinburgh, where the Edinburgh Phrenological Society was established in 1820.
Warwick is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is 9 miles (14 km) south of Coventry, and 19 miles (31 km) south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whitnash.
Physiognomy or face reading is the practice of assessing a person's character or personality from their outer appearance—especially the face. The term can also refer to the general appearance of a person, object, or terrain without reference to its implied characteristics—as in the physiognomy of an individual plant or of a plant community.
Rhinoplasty, commonly called nose job, medically called nasal reconstruction, is a plastic surgery procedure for altering and reconstructing the nose. There are two types of plastic surgery used – reconstructive surgery that restores the form and functions of the nose and cosmetic surgery that changes the appearance of the nose. Reconstructive surgery seeks to resolve nasal injuries caused by various traumas including blunt, and penetrating trauma and trauma caused by blast injury. Reconstructive surgery can also treat birth defects, breathing problems, and failed primary rhinoplasties. Rhinoplasty may remove a bump, narrow nostril width, change the angle between the nose and the mouth, or address injuries, birth defects, or other problems that affect breathing, such as a deviated nasal septum or a sinus condition. Surgery only on the septum is called a septoplasty.
Anthropometry refers to the measurement of the human individual. An early tool of physical anthropology, it has been used for identification, for the purposes of understanding human physical variation, in paleoanthropology and in various attempts to correlate physical with racial and psychological traits. Anthropometry involves the systematic measurement of the physical properties of the human body, primarily dimensional descriptors of body size and shape. Since commonly used methods and approaches in analysing living standards were not helpful enough, the anthropometric history became very useful for historians in answering questions that interested them.
Craniometry is measurement of the cranium, usually the human cranium. It is a subset of cephalometry, measurement of the head, which in humans is a subset of anthropometry, measurement of the human body. It is distinct from phrenology, the pseudoscience that tried to link personality and character to head shape, and physiognomy, which tried the same for facial features. However, these fields have all claimed the ability to predict traits or intelligence.
Mouth breathing, medically known as chronic oral ventilation, is long-term breathing through the mouth. It often is caused by an obstruction to breathing through the nose, the innate breathing organ in the human body. However, by the early 20th century, the term "mouth-breather" had developed a pejorative slang meaning connoting a stupid person.
An aquiline nose is a human nose with a prominent bridge, giving it the appearance of being curved or slightly bent. The word aquiline comes from the Latin word aquilinus ("eagle-like"), an allusion to the curved beak of an eagle. While some have ascribed the aquiline nose to specific ethnic, racial, or geographic groups, and in some cases associated it with other supposed non-physical characteristics, no scientific studies or evidence support any such linkage. As with many phenotypical expressions it is found in many geographically diverse populations.
The nasal helmet was a type of combat helmet characterised by the possession of a projecting bar covering the nose and thus protecting the centre of the face; it was of Western European origins and was used from the late 9th century to at least c. 1250.
The Dictionnaire Infernal is a book on demonology, describing demons organised in hierarchies. It was written by Jacques Collin de Plancy and first published in 1818. There were several editions of the book; perhaps the most famous is the 1863 edition, which included sixty-nine illustrations by Louis Le Breton depicting the appearances of several of the demons. Many but not all of these images were later used in S. L. MacGregor Mathers's edition of The Lesser Key of Solomon.
Anthropological criminology is a field of offender profiling, based on perceived links between the nature of a crime and the personality or physical appearance of the offender. Although similar to physiognomy and phrenology, the term "criminal anthropology" is generally reserved for the works of the Italian school of criminology of the late 19th century. Lombroso thought that criminals were born with detectable inferior physiological differences. He popularized the notion of "born criminal" and thought that criminality was a case of atavism or hereditary disposition. His central idea was to locate crime completely within the individual and divorce it from surrounding social conditions and structures. A founder of the Positivist school of criminology, Lombroso opposed the social positivism developed by the Chicago school and environmental criminology.
Henry Shipton Drayton (1840–1923) was an American physician and phrenologist. He defended the now obsolete theories that one could predict the personality of human beings based on cranial features and that some humans had a sixth sense.
Mien shiang is a physiognomic and fortune-telling practice in Chinese culture and traditional Chinese medicine which purports to determine aspects of person's character, personality, and (future) health by analyzing their face according to the five phases. The five phases are metaphors devised by ancient Chinese philosophers to explain the relationship, interaction, and ongoing change of everything in the universe. In recent times the art of face reading has become more popular and schools that teach mien shiang more wide spread.
The history of anthropometry includes its use as an early tool of anthropology, use for identification, use for the purposes of understanding human physical variation in paleoanthropology and in various attempts to correlate physical with racial and psychological traits. At various points in history, certain anthropometrics have been cited by advocates of discrimination and eugenics often as part of novel social movements or based upon pseudoscience.
The Jewish nose, or the Jew's nose, is an antisemitic ethnic stereotype referring to a hooked nose with a convex nasal bridge and a downward turn of the tip of the nose. It was singled out as a hostile caricature of Jews in mid-13th century Europe and has since become a defining and persisting element of the overall Jewish stereotype globally. In modern times, it has also been adopted by Jews as a part of their identity to spite historic antisemitism.
The text with the incipit protasis Šumma sinništu qaqqada rabât, inscribed in cuneiform: DIŠ MUNUS SAG.DU GAL-at, “If a Woman is Large of Head”, is an ancient Mesopotamian collection of physiognomic omens, or oracles based on a woman's anatomical features, where the apodosis either predicts the fortune of the individual or makes snap judgements about them based on their physical appearance. It is an Akkadian two-tablet composition dedicated to a woman's prognostication and is often considered a subsection or extension of the greater twenty-seven tablet work, Alamdimmû, concerning physiognomic omens in general.
Liber physiognomiae is a work by the Scottish mathematician, philosopher, and scholar Michael Scot concerning physiognomy; the work is also the final book of a trilogy known as the Liber introductorius. The Liber physiognomiae itself is divided into three sections, which deal with various concepts like procreation, generation, dream interpretation, and physiognomy proper.
Figs or Pigs? is an 1896 manual on vegetarianism and fruitarianism compiled by James Madison Allen, which contains observations from the author, as well as numerous quotations from eminent authors and authorities.
Phrenology has been a cultural factor in the Latter Day Saint movement since around the time of its founding in 1830. Phrenology is a pseudoscience which involves the measurement of bumps on the skull to predict mental traits. Developed in the 1790s, it became widely popular in the United States in the 1830s and 1840s, coinciding with the rise of the Latter Day Saint movement.
Sharrona Pearl is a Canadian-American historian and theorist of the face and writer who teaches at Drexel University.