- Email: [email protected]
ANNIVERSARY GENERAL MEETING. March 31st, 1827.
80
March 15,
be almost morbid, and it might be active when other faculties were devery C. A. TULK, Esq. F.R.S. President, in the ficient: he quoted from Pinel a case of an Chair. idiot who imitated every body, and menThe following gentlemen were electedtioiied another that was a few years ago in ordinary members :-Mr. Laurence Healey,Clapham workhouse. He quoted also two instances of its morbid activity in persons Surgeon ; Mr. James Paty, Surgeon. Dr. ELLIOTSON, at the request of severalL not deficient in other faculties ; one from members, read a paper on the faculty ofCabanis, and the other from the PhilosophiImitation, which he had formerly read in cal Transactions for 1677. These persons the infancy of the Society, when few of the wiped their faces, bowed, held out their present members had joined it. He began heads, exactly as another did in their comby stating, that few, whether phrenologists pany ; and the one, if restrained by force, or not, would doubt the existence of such a suffered insupportable agony, and endeapropensity ;- that we speak a particular voured to get free, that he might yield to language, eat and drink, adopt various pur- the propensity, respecting which the only that it vexed his suits, and amuse ourselves exactly in the answer he made was, manner that others do in the place where heart and his brain." Fourthly, Dr. E. we chance to be born or to reside : that showed that the degree of the faculty was though, on the one hand, many things may national, and instanced the Ashantees, as be imitated from other motives than the described by Mr. Bowditch. Lastly, he mere propensity to imitate, and national gave some curious examples of its becoming character depends much on national organi- excessive by disease, and showed that if a sation ; and that, on the other hand, pecu.. faculty is fundamental, it may not only be liarity of constitution will so modify cha- constitutionally strong, or weak, without a racter and manner as to cause eccentricity : corresponding condition of other faculties, yet that the propensity to imitate is con- but may also, independently of them, be stantly and silently in play, and compels morbidly active or quiescent ; in relation to the most eccentric to fall very much, though this subiect, he alluded to a disease described he little suspect it, into the ways of his by Cochrane, in his Pedestrian Journey neighbours : and that it explains much that through Russia and Siberia, called Imerais national, and much of the uniformity of chism, in which persons in spite of themsect, society, and family. He then pro- selves imitate the actions of others : this ceeded to show the importance of the affection prevails in the Kolyma and more propensity ; in the first place, by view- northern countries. The author concluded ing the inconveniences which would re- by observing, that since the paper was first sult from every one doing every thing, read, Alibert, though no phrenologist, had whether relative to business, or amuse- taken precisely the same views of the imment, or common intercourse, in a man- portance of the propensity to imitation, in ner peculiar to himself, without falling his eloquent and elegant " Pliysiologie des spontaneously into the ways of those around Passions," and adduces similar illustrations, him ; and, secondly, by considering that if though much that he refers to it is referrible children before they know the reason and’ to other faculties. object ofthings did not -acquire knowledge This paper was followed by a discussion, and habits by imitation, they would long in which the President, Dr. Wright, and remain almost stationary. The Doctor ob- Dr. Moore, took part. served, that besides this grand object of imitation, the faculty is subservient to pleaANNIVERSARY GENERAL MEETING. sure, to the arts of painting, sculpture, poetry, music and the drama, and to mimicry; March 31st, 1827. co-operating with the faculties of tune, and various sentiments in colour, form, size, C.A.TULK, Esq. F.R.S. President, the case of the arts ; and with chiefly wit, in the Chair. language and individuality, together with the The members present proceeded to ballot sentiments in the case of mimicry. He here remarked that Gall discovered the faculty for the officers and other members of the and its organ, as he had done othejs, by ob- council for the ensuing year. servingits existence in extraordinary persons The society consists at present of 134 with extraordinary development of a par- members, among whom are 18 physicians ticular part of the head in a great mimic. and 32 surgeons. The ordinary meetings of the society will The second object of the author was to prove its existence in brutes, to illustrate which in future be held on the second and fOlll’th he noticed many well known facts. In the Friday of each month. third place, he stated that, like every other fundamental faculty, its natural 1
might
1827.
"
Capt.
activity1
March 15,
be almost morbid, and it might be active when other faculties were devery C. A. TULK, Esq. F.R.S. President, in the ficient: he quoted from Pinel a case of an Chair. idiot who imitated every body, and menThe following gentlemen were electedtioiied another that was a few years ago in ordinary members :-Mr. Laurence Healey,Clapham workhouse. He quoted also two instances of its morbid activity in persons Surgeon ; Mr. James Paty, Surgeon. Dr. ELLIOTSON, at the request of severalL not deficient in other faculties ; one from members, read a paper on the faculty ofCabanis, and the other from the PhilosophiImitation, which he had formerly read in cal Transactions for 1677. These persons the infancy of the Society, when few of the wiped their faces, bowed, held out their present members had joined it. He began heads, exactly as another did in their comby stating, that few, whether phrenologists pany ; and the one, if restrained by force, or not, would doubt the existence of such a suffered insupportable agony, and endeapropensity ;- that we speak a particular voured to get free, that he might yield to language, eat and drink, adopt various pur- the propensity, respecting which the only that it vexed his suits, and amuse ourselves exactly in the answer he made was, manner that others do in the place where heart and his brain." Fourthly, Dr. E. we chance to be born or to reside : that showed that the degree of the faculty was though, on the one hand, many things may national, and instanced the Ashantees, as be imitated from other motives than the described by Mr. Bowditch. Lastly, he mere propensity to imitate, and national gave some curious examples of its becoming character depends much on national organi- excessive by disease, and showed that if a sation ; and that, on the other hand, pecu.. faculty is fundamental, it may not only be liarity of constitution will so modify cha- constitutionally strong, or weak, without a racter and manner as to cause eccentricity : corresponding condition of other faculties, yet that the propensity to imitate is con- but may also, independently of them, be stantly and silently in play, and compels morbidly active or quiescent ; in relation to the most eccentric to fall very much, though this subiect, he alluded to a disease described he little suspect it, into the ways of his by Cochrane, in his Pedestrian Journey neighbours : and that it explains much that through Russia and Siberia, called Imerais national, and much of the uniformity of chism, in which persons in spite of themsect, society, and family. He then pro- selves imitate the actions of others : this ceeded to show the importance of the affection prevails in the Kolyma and more propensity ; in the first place, by view- northern countries. The author concluded ing the inconveniences which would re- by observing, that since the paper was first sult from every one doing every thing, read, Alibert, though no phrenologist, had whether relative to business, or amuse- taken precisely the same views of the imment, or common intercourse, in a man- portance of the propensity to imitation, in ner peculiar to himself, without falling his eloquent and elegant " Pliysiologie des spontaneously into the ways of those around Passions," and adduces similar illustrations, him ; and, secondly, by considering that if though much that he refers to it is referrible children before they know the reason and’ to other faculties. object ofthings did not -acquire knowledge This paper was followed by a discussion, and habits by imitation, they would long in which the President, Dr. Wright, and remain almost stationary. The Doctor ob- Dr. Moore, took part. served, that besides this grand object of imitation, the faculty is subservient to pleaANNIVERSARY GENERAL MEETING. sure, to the arts of painting, sculpture, poetry, music and the drama, and to mimicry; March 31st, 1827. co-operating with the faculties of tune, and various sentiments in colour, form, size, C.A.TULK, Esq. F.R.S. President, the case of the arts ; and with chiefly wit, in the Chair. language and individuality, together with the The members present proceeded to ballot sentiments in the case of mimicry. He here remarked that Gall discovered the faculty for the officers and other members of the and its organ, as he had done othejs, by ob- council for the ensuing year. servingits existence in extraordinary persons The society consists at present of 134 with extraordinary development of a par- members, among whom are 18 physicians ticular part of the head in a great mimic. and 32 surgeons. The ordinary meetings of the society will The second object of the author was to prove its existence in brutes, to illustrate which in future be held on the second and fOlll’th he noticed many well known facts. In the Friday of each month. third place, he stated that, like every other fundamental faculty, its natural 1
might
1827.
"
Capt.
activity1