BIG BRAIDS IN LITTLE HEADS

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 September 1931, Page 6

BIG BRAIDS IN LITTLE HEADS

DR. HOLLANDER’S BOOK. / The folly of judging mental ability from the siz'b of the head is emphasised by Dr-Bernard Hollander in his interesting book, “Brain, Mind, and the External Signs of Intelligence.” The brain of Anatole France, the famous French writer, was found to weigh only 360 z. or 13oz. less than the brain of the average man. Dr Hollander holds that— Size and weight of the whole brain are not measures of the intellectual capacity of a man, but of his mind, his mental power—without determining whether that power lies in" extent of intellect, in strength of moral feeling, or in force of passion, or affection. ’

. Through ignorance of this fact the objection arose that, while some men had large heads, other men of eminence have had small ones. According to the author, there'is no .distinctly criminal type of head. A highly developed intellect may serve for the gratification of instinctive desires. The typical criminal of the criminologists in the past was a man who, among other signs, had a very small frontal region,»which we know indicates feeble-mindedhess. In so far as the shape of the head can be said to indicate special ability, there is some support for the View that

A very high forehead is an indication of lofty ideals, vivid imagination, lofty sentiments, appreciation of the beautiful; it denotes a sympathetic nature . . . The world’s greatest poets, creators of fjne arts, benefactors, reformers, and geniuses have mostly had high foreheads.