As I said earlier, there was another story.
Sitting outside the Crown Offices at 25 Chambers Street, Ann commented on the four busts built into the frontage around the big bay window. So nothing ventured I went into the reception desk where I met a security officer from "Mite". I was not sure if he knew but on asking about the busts he had some knowledge from memory but then handed me a full print out about them . It turned out that the frontage was that of the former Henderson Trust's Phrenological Society which opened to the public in 1878 the two busts shown are of Dr Franz Joseph Gall and Dr Johann Gasper Spurzheim. In the papers there are also photos of their death masks. Dr Spurzheim introduced Phrenology to the Edinburgh public in 1816. Their beliefs were that the brain was the seat of the mind and had localised organs which determined the personality of an individual. They also believed that the contours of the skull reflected the contours of the brain. ( so they shaved your head and read your bumps) !!
At one stage they had 2500 items from skulls, brains and death masks in Edinburgh , but the biggest collection was held in London with 5000 casts and skulls.
There are now apparantly only about 300 intems from the original collection but I have no idea where they displayed or if they are still in storage.
Well that was a bit different!!!
Spain are currently beating Russia 2 - 0 at half time. and I am up early and away to Glasgow and then south - many happy returns.
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