The Zoist Explained

The Zoist
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Abbreviation:Zoist
Discipline:Mesmerism, phrenology
Language:English
Editors:John Elliotson, William Collins Engledue
History:1843–1856
Frequency:Quarterly
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The Zoist: A Journal of Cerebral Physiology & Mesmerism, and Their Applications to Human Welfare was a British journal, devoted to the promotion of the theories and practices (and the collection and dissemination of reports of the applications) of the pseudoscientific concepts of mesmerism and phrenology, and the enterprise of "connecting and harmonizing practical science with little understood laws governing the mental structure of man".[1] The name derived from the Greek word Zoe (ζωή) meaning "life". The Zoist was published quarterly, without a break, for fifteen years: from March 1843 until January 1856.

Edited by John Elliotson, the founder, and former president of the London Phrenological Society, who had been expelled from the University College Hospital in 1838 for his mesmeric practices, and William Collins Engledue, a former President of the British Phrenological Association, who was ostracized by both his medical colleagues for his dedication to mesmerism and phrenology, and by the majority of phrenologists for his rejection of their "socio-religious", spiritual position,[2] in favour of a scientific, materialist, brain-centred position that, in effect, reduced mental operations to physical forces.[3]

"The Zoist was a materialist journal; it repudiated metaphysics and argued that everything—including human thinking—could be explained through the laws of the physical universe ..."[4]

The journal

The Zoist's first edition was published in January 1843. It was published quarterly, without a break, for fifteen years from March 1843 until January 1856, and each quarterly issue cost 2s.6d.

It was also published in annual volumes; and the first twelve annual volumes were published simultaneously by Hippolyte Ballière, in London, J.B. Ballière, in Paris, and T.O. Weigel, in Leipzig; the thirteenth and last volume was published by Arthur Hall, Virtue, and Co., in London.[5]

Similar publications

Aside from the already established journal, The Phrenological Journal and Miscellany, which ran from 1823 to 1847, and The Phrenological Almanac, which ran from 1842 to 1845, published by the Glasgow Phrenological Society, there was Spencer T. Hall's The Phreno-Magnet and Mirror of Nature: A Record of Facts, Experiments, and Discoveries in Phrenology, Magnetism, &c., which lasted for eleven monthly issues (from February 1843 to December 1843), the short-lived Mesmerist: A Journal of Vital Magnetism, which only lasted for twenty weekly issues (from 13 May 1843 to 23 September 1843), The Annals of Mesmerism and Mesmero-Phrenology, which lasted for three monthly issues (from July 1843 to September 1843), and The People's Phrenological Journal and Compendium of Mental and Moral Science, published weekly, by the Exeter and London Phrenological Societies, for two years (1843 to 1844).[6]

Then, to add to the mix, James Braid's definitive work on hypnotism, Neurypnology or The Rationale of Nervous Sleep, Considered in Relation with Animal Magnetism, Illustrated by Numerous Cases of its Successful Application in the Relief and Cure of Disease was released in July 1843.

Cerebral Physiology & Mesmerism

The choice of the "Cerebral Physiology & Mesmerism" sub-title for their journal—rather than, that is, "Animal Magnetism & Phrenology"—is a measure of the pragmatic, materialist, "leading edge" proto-scientific orientation of both Elliotson and Engledue.

Their deliberately chosen term "cerebral physiology" (coined by Engledue) was entirely consistent with the original anatomy-centred term of "cranioscopy" (German,) chosen by the German neuroanatomist Franz Joseph Gall; and it was intentionally applied—rather than the (then) prevailing English, metaphysical, mind-centred term, "phrenology" coined by Thomas Forster (see Forster (1815) – to distinguish their own rational, sceptical, proto-scientific efforts in pursuit of a scientific understanding of (what would be termed, today) "brain science", from the superstitious "phrenology" (which was eventually universally dismissed as a flawed pseudoscience).[7]

Similarly, their choice of term "mesmerism" was intentionally applied to indicate that, whilst they were deeply committed to a scientific ratification, and neurophysiological investigation of the phenomena supposedly produced by mesmeric methods, their interest was almost exclusively in the consequences of the applications of the practices of Franz Mesmer, rather than paying any particular attention to the wide range of metaphysical theories of the "animal magnetists".

Scope

Apart from providing literature reviews and announcements of new publications, The Zoist was a source of information, disciplinary interaction, original accounts of phenomena, relevant case studies of its application to wide range of conditions, ranging from epilepsy, stammering, and headache, to torticollis, asthma, and rheumatism, and extensive reports of pertinent innovations and discoveries.

Elliotson was an opponent of capital punishment, and argued, within the Zoist, based upon his phrenological analysis of the heads of executed murderers, that not only was phrenology true, but also that, from this, capital punishment was futile as a deterrent.[8]

According to Gauld (1992, pp. 219–243), apart from its concentration on mesmerism and phrenology, The Zoist was one of the principal sources for information, discussion, and education in the following domains of interest:

(1) Mesmeric Analgesia: although The Zoist would become the major vehicle for the (post-1846) reports of James Esdaile's work in India,[9] it completely ignored the extensive (early 1842) work reported by Braid in his Neurypnology (1843, p. 253). Elliotson had already published his Numerous Cases of Surgical Operations without Pain in early 1843.

(2) Phreno-mesmerism (a.k.a. phreno-magnetism)[10] [11] and hemicerebral mesmerism (the mesmerization of each hemisphere of the brain separately).[12]

(3) "Reichenbach phenomena" and other matters.[13]

(4) Electro-biology and related matters.

(5) Alleged instances of extra-sensory perception (ESP) occurring in a mesmeric context.

Influence

Unlike France, where the conflict between the conventional medical establishment and the advocates of mesmerism took place in the public/political arena,[14] the British debate between the conventional medical establishment and the scientific advocates of mesmerism, such as Elliotson and Engledue, took place mainly in the medical literature on the one hand (such as Wakley's Lancet), and The Zoist on the other.

Given Wakley's implacable opposition to Elliotson, it is not surprising that, from time to time, "The Lancet continued to fulminate against the mesmerists" maintaining that "all those connected with The Zoist were 'lepers', and doctors who practised mesmerism, traitors...".[15]

Stress on the power of the imagination

A constant aspect of The Zoist's approach was its stress on the power of the imagination. In January 1855, in an article summarizing the Zoist's extensive coverage of the issue over more than a decade, Elliotson wrote of how, "in mesmeric states the effect of imagination is far greater than in the ordinary state, and we suspect that in persons not in the mesmeric state, but who have been formerly mesmerised, the power is far greater than in those who have never been mesmerised".[16]

Contributions

Apart from Elliotson, Engledue, and an otherwise (at the time) unidentified constant contributor, operating under the nom de guerre of "L.E.G.E.",[17] and apart from its exhaustive reports of the clinical and social applications of mesmerism and phrenology, and pain-free medical and dental surgery, and progress reports from the London mesmeric Infirmary, The Zoist featured an exceptionally wide range of items contributed by a wide range of contributors (many of whom remained anonymous) from Britain, the colonies, and the United States. For example:

The end of The Zoist

In a parting address to their journal's readers and subscribers written on 31 December 1855,[29] the editors of The Zoist reminded their readers that they had sought "neither pecuniary gain nor worldly reputation", and had willingly undertaken the enterprise despite the fact that "loss was nearly certain", and that "contempt, ridicule, virulent abuse, and serious injury, were all inevitable".

Yet, they assured their readers, "the object for which The Zoist was undertaken"—namely, "the establishment of truths, splendid, exquisite, extensive in their bearings, and of the highest importance to the moral and corporeal well-being of mankind"—had been attained; and that it was their hope that it would "be regarded as a complete work which has come out in fifty-two numbers", and be recognized as "a rich store", and would be used as "a solid work of reference for years to come": see Gallery.

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Godwin (1994), p. 213.
  2. Such as that maintained by William Scott, President of the Edinburgh Phrenological Society, in his The Harmony of Phrenology with Scripture: Shewn in a Refutation of the Philosophical Errors contained in Mr Combe's "Constitution of Man" (1837); and by Mrs John Pugh (S.D. Pugh) in her Phrenology considered in a religious light; or, Thoughts and readings consequent on the perusal of [G.] 'Combe's Constitution of man'. Phrenology Considered in a Religious Light; or, Thoughts and Readings Consequent on the Perusal of "Combe's Constitution of Man" (1846)
  3. Cooter (1984), p. 94.
  4. Ruth (1999), p. 305.
  5. The thirteen volumes were:
  6. Cooter (1984), p. 394; Kurshan (2006), pp. 20–21.
  7. Although there was no "truth" ever reliably established for phrenology, its (internally consistent) concept of "Phrenological Organs" (which were responsible for various "mental faculties", such as "tune", "language", "amativeness", "philoprogenitiveness", etc.) located beneath particular areas of the skull—and, thus, external craniological means could be used to diagnose the internal states of the mental characters—was the basis for the creation of a mind-set, generated by analogy, from which today's scientific understanding of the functional specialization of the brain eventually emerged.
  8. Gauld (1992), p. 207.
  9. See Elliotson's synopsis of Esdaile's report.
  10. Dr. Robert Hanham Collyer (1814–1891), M.D. (1839, Berkshire Medical College, Pittsfield, Massachusetts) was a (medical) pupil of Elliotson. In May 1841 he claimed to have discovered a new science, "Phreno-Mesmerism", in November 1839, which combined phrenology and mesmerism. He wrote an influential pamphlet on the subjectsee Psychography, etc. (1843)however, by October 1842, he no longer believed in phreno-mesmerism, and publicly retracted his views.
  11. In his extended discussion of phrenology, in Chapter 6, of his Neurypnology (1843, pp. 79–149), James Braid clearly states (p. 105) that he began his investigations of phreno-mesmerism—which he deals with at pp. 105–149in April 1842 (just six weeks before Neurypnology was sent to the printer); and, it also extremely clear that, as a result of the researches and experiments undertaken over an extended period of time, Braid became convinced that there was no justification in the claims of the phreno-mesmerists (see Braid, !844).
  12. e.g., Elliotson, (1844).
  13. Web site: Reichenbach's odic force – The Skeptic's Dictionary. skepdic.com.
  14. See Darnton (1968).
  15. Inglis (1992), p. 175.
  16. Elliotson (1855).
  17. Both George Holyoake, editor of the secular journal, The Reasoner: A Weekly Journal, Utilitarian, Republican, & Communist (See The Reasoner, Vol. 6, No. 15, (11 April 1849), p. 237), and the medical historian and phrenology scholar, Roger Cooter (see Cooter, 1976, Part I, p. 14), have identified "L.E.G.E." as Engledue.
  18. https://books.google.com/books?id=RuNXAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA369 Vol. 1, No. 4, (January 1844), pp. 369–385
  19. Web site: The Zoist. 19 June 1845. H. Baillière. Google Books.
  20. Web site: The Zoist. 19 June 1845. H. Baillière. Google Books.
  21. https://books.google.com/books?id=0QNYAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA120 Vol. 3, No. 9, (April 1845), p. 120
  22. https://books.google.com/books?id=0QNYAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA399 Vol. 3, No. 12 (January 1846), pp. 399–416
  23. Prideaux appended the following note to the publication: "It must be remembered that this was written nearly seven years ago. Phrenology since this period has made rapid strides towards being regarded as an accepted science. A phrenological chair has lately been instituted in one of our universities. The subject has been popularized by the allusions of writers of fiction and others, and an expression of disbelief in the science would not be considered a mark of ignorance by most persons having any pretension to keep pace with the knowledge of the day." (p. 416)
  24. https://books.google.com/books?id=8P0EAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA100 Vol. 4, No. 13, (April 1846), pp. 100–102
  25. https://books.google.com/books?id=ueRXAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA300 Vol. 8, No. 31 (October 1850), pp. 300–303
  26. https://books.google.com/books?id=ueRXAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA333 Vol. 8, No. 32 (January 1851), pp. 333–337
  27. https://books.google.com/books?id=J0DKte2VwYYC&pg=PA177 Vol. 10, No. 38, (July 1852), pp. 177–181
  28. https://books.google.com/books?id=J0DKte2VwYYC&pg=PA377 Vol. 10, No. 40, (January 1852), p. 377
  29. Web site: The Zoist. 19 June 1856. H. Baillière. Google Books.

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