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BUCHANAN'S
JOURNAL OF MAN,
Published from 1849 to 1856 at Cincinnati, is to be re-established at
Boston in February, 1887. When published formerly it was in its
character and merits entirely unique, and, notwithstanding the
progress of thirty-five years, its position is still unique, and in
its essential characteristics different from all nineteenth century
literature, and not in competition with any other publication. It was
needed in 1849, and it is still more needed now. It represents an
entirely new school of thought, based upon the establishment of the
new science of ANTHROPOLOGY, which is a revelation of the anatomical,
physiological, and psychic union of soul, brain, and body, and a
complete portrait of man and the laws of his life, from which arise
many forms of psychological, ethical, physiological, pathological, and
therapeutic science, all of which are eminently practical and
philanthropic in their results.
One of these applications has been given in the volume entitled, "The
New Education," of which Edward Howland says, "Its results cannot fail
of being of even more influence upon the culture and the virtue of
society than the introduction of steam into industrial methods has had
in the distribution of the products of skilled labor."[A]
[A] Rev. B. F. BARRETT, one of the most eminent writers of
his church, says:
"We are perfectly _charmed_ with your book. I regard it by
far as the most valuable work on education ever published.
You have herein formulated the very wisdom of heaven on
the highest and most momentous of all themes. Your work is
destined, in my judgment, to inaugurate a new era in
popular education. It contains more and higher wisdom on
the subject of which it treats _than all the other books
ever written on education_."
To watch and to assist the progress of humanity has been the pleasure
of the editor for half a century, and it will be the task of the
"Journal of Man," as far as practicable, to present a periscope of
progress in all that interests the philanthropist. Almost innumerable
questions are arising concerning human rights, opinions, and
interests, such as, the new education, the new theology, theosophy,
occultism, spiritualism, materialism, agnosticism, evolution,
paleontology, ethnology, ancient religions, systems of ethics,
sociology, political economy, labor and wages, co-operation,
socialism, woman's progress and rights, intemperance and social evils
of every grade, modern literature, the philosophy of art and oratory,
revolutions in medicine, sanitary and hygienic science, democracy,
public men and women, prison reform, the land question, and questions
of war or peace, and national policy; upon all of which the "Journal
of Man" must necessarily occupy an independent position, and present
peculiar views, in the light of the new sciences of which it is the
exponent,--views not derived from the past, not in harmony with the
orthodox literature of the day, nor tinged by any credulous
fanaticism, but resulting from a half century of earnest and
scientific search for truth.
Another important function for a philanthropic and progressive journal
is to assist in the diffusion of liberal literature, and to keep an
eye upon the prolific press of to-day, for the benefit of its readers,
calling their attention to the meritorious works, which are often
neglected, and warning against pretentious folly and sciolism. But it
is not supposed that the programme of the Journal can be fully carried
out until the completion of certain works now in hand will permit its
enlargement.
The existence and diffusion of such a science as psychometry--"the
dawn of a new civilization," as it is considered by its adepts and its
friends,--is alone an imperative demand for a journal to assist the
diffusion and illustration of a science, which no honorable and
logical thinker, after accepting its well-established facts, can
regard as anything less than the beginning of an intellectual
revolution, the magnitude of which is astounding to a conservative
mind; for the revolutionary science of the last forty years has been
concealed from the conservative majority, by its exclusion from the
press and from the college. But the "Journal of Man" has a still wider
field, a task in which it may well claim the co-operation of all truly
enlightened and philanthropic minds.
It was the singular good fortune of the editor, over forty-five years
ago, to crown his long investigations of the constitution of man by
the discovery and demonstration that all the powers of the soul were
exercised by the brain in a multiform subdivision of its structure,
every convolution and every group of fibres and cells having a
function appreciably distinct from the functions of all neighboring
parts, the vast multiformity and intricacy of its structure
corresponding to the vast multiformity and intricacy of our psychic
nature, which has never yet been thoroughly portrayed by either
philosopher or poet.
The functions thus discovered are at once both psychic and
physiological, for the brain is purely a psychic organ, when its
influence is not transmitted to the body; but becomes a physiological
organ, and in fact the controlling head and centre of physiological
action, when its influence is transmitted, not merely in voluntary
motion, but in the unconscious influence which sustains, modifies, or
depresses every vital process.
These discoveries were not _entirely_ new, for it was the
fundamental doctrine of Gall, the founder of the true cerebral
anatomy, that the brain consisted of different organs of psychic
functions; but in announcing the discovery (published from 1809 to
1819) of twenty-seven distinct organs, he fell far short of the
ultimate truth, as a necessary consequence of his imperfect and
difficult method of discovery by comparative development. The word
_phrenology_ has become so identified with his incomplete
discoveries, that it may be laid aside in the present stage of our
progress. There is no monotonous repetition of function in nervous
structures, and the possibility of subdivision of structure and
function is limited only by our own intellectual capacities.
Moreover, Dr. Gall did not ascertain the functions of the basilar and
internal regions of the brain, which were beyond the reach of his
methods, and entirely overlooked the fact that the brain is the
commanding centre of physiology, the seat of the external and internal
senses, and of organs that control the circulation, the viscera, the
secretions, and all their physiological and pathological phenomena, as
demonstrated in my experiments, which reveal the entire physiological
and the entire psychological life, with the anatomical apparatus of
their intimate union.
The experiments on intelligent persons, by which these discoveries
were made and demonstrated, have been repeated many thousand times.
They have been officially presented during many years in medical
colleges, and sanctioned by scientific faculties as well as by
committees of investigation, none of which have ever made an
unfavorable report. They have been tested and demonstrated so often
that further repetition appeared needless, since the unquestioned
demonstrations produced no result beyond a passive assent; for men's
minds are generally so firmly held in the bondage of habit, fashion,
and inherited opinion, as to be incapable of entering freely upon a
new realm of intellectual life without pecuniary motive; and
investigating committees accomplished little or nothing important, the
reason having been, as assigned by a distinguished and learned
secretary of a medical committee in Boston, that the subject was too
profound, too difficult, and too far beyond the knowledge of the
medical profession. In the presence of such unmanly apathy my
demonstrations were discontinued, as I found that only a few
high-toned and fearless seekers of scientific truth, such as the
venerable Prof. Caldwell, President Wylie, Rev. John Pierpont, Robert
Dale Owen, Prof. Gatchell, Dr. Forry, and a score or two of similarly
independent men and women, have spoken to the public with proper
emphasis of the immortality of the discovery and the greatness of the
total revolution that it makes in science and philosophy,--a
revolution so vast as to require many pages to give its mere outline,
and several volumes to give its concise presentation. The subjects of
these volumes would necessarily be Cerebral Psychology, Cerebral
Physiology, Psychological Ethics or Religion, Pneumatology, Psychic
Pathology, Sarcognomy, Psychometry, Education, and Pathognomy. A _very
concise_ epitome of the whole subject in 400 pages was published in
1854, as a "System of Anthropology." "The New Education" was published
in 1882. "Therapeutic Sarcognomy"--the application of sarcognomy to
medical practice--was published in 1884, and the "Manual of
Psychometry" in 1885.
The discoveries constituting the new anthropology stand unimpeached
to-day, sustained by every complete investigation, and not refuted or
contradicted by the innumerable experiments of medical scientists. The
labors of Ferrier, Fritsch, Hitzig and Charcot, become a part of the
new system, as they lend corroboration; and the annals of pathology
furnish numerous corroborative facts. These are not barren, abstract
sciences, but bear upon all departments of human life--upon education,
medical practice, hygiene, the study of character, the selection of
public officers, of partners, friends, and conjugal companions,--upon
religion and morals, the administration of justice and government,
penal and reformatory law, the exploration of antiquity, the
philosophy of art and eloquence, and the cultivation of all sciences
except the mathematical. Anthropology must, therefore, become the
guide and guardian of humanity, and, as such, will be illustrated by
the "Journal of Man." It will indulge in no rash ultraism or
antagonism, but will kindly appreciate truth even when mingled with
error. There is, to-day, a vast amount of established science to be
respected and preserved, as well as a vast amount of rubbish in
metaphysical, theological, sociological, and educational opinions,
that requires to be buried in the grave of the obsolete. The greatness
of our themes forbids their illustration in a prospectus, which can
but promise an unfailing supply of the novel and wonderful, the
philanthropic and important, the interesting and useful, presented in
that spirit of love and hope which sees that earth may be changed into
the likeness of heaven, and that such progress is a part of our
world's remote but inevitable destiny.
Let it be remembered that science, philosophy, and religion are false
and worthless when they do not contribute to the happiness and
elevation of mankind, and that the chief factor in human elevation is
that wise adaptation of measures to human nature which is utterly
impossible without a thorough understanding of man,--in other words,
without the science of anthropology, for the lack of which all
national and individual life has been filled with a succession of
blunders and calamities. It is especially in the most brilliant
portion of anthropology, the science of psychometry, that we shall
find access to the reconstructive wisdom which leads to a nobler life
in accordance with the laws of heaven, as well as the prosperity and
success which come from the fulness of practical science and the
perfection of social order. For the truth of these unusual claims the
reader is referred to "The Manual of Psychometry," "The New
Education," "Intelligent Public Opinion" and future publications.
The "Journal of Man" will be published at $1.00 per annum, in advance,
in monthly numbers of thirty-two pages, beginning in February, 1887.
Subscriptions should be sent, not in money, but by postal order, to
the editor, Dr. J. R. Buchanan, 6 James Street, Boston. Advertisements
inserted at the usual rates. Agents wanted.
Those who wish to receive the "Journal of Man" should enter their
names below as subscribers, and forward to the editor, without delay.
Subscribers' names. No. copies. Post Office Address.
........................................................
INTELLIGENT PUBLIC OPINION. "The consensus of the competent."
BUCHANAN'S "JOURNAL OF MAN." "Perhaps no journal published in the
world is so far in advance of the age."--_Plain Dealer, Cleveland_.
"His method is strictly scientific; he proceeds on the sure ground of
observation and experiment; he admits no phenomena as reality which he
has not thoroughly tested, and is evidently more desirous to arrive at
a correct understanding of nature than to establish a system.... We
rejoice that they are in the hands of one who is so well qualified as
the editor of the Journal to do them justice, both by his indomitable
spirit of research, his cautious analysis of facts, and his power of
exact and vigorous expression."--_New York Tribune_.
"This sterling publication is always welcome to our table. Many of its
articles evince marked ability and striking originality."--_National
Era, Washington City_.
"It is truly refreshing to take up this monthly.... When we drop
anchor and sit down to commune with philosophy as taught by Buchanan,
the fogs and mists of the day clear up."--_Capital City Fact_.
"This work is a pioneer in the progress of science."--_Louisville
Democrat_.
"After a thorough perusal of its pages, we unhesitatingly pronounce it
one of the ablest publications in America."--_Brandon Post_.
"To hear these subjects discussed by ordinary men, and then to read
Buchanan, there is as much difference as in listening to a novice
performing on a piano, and then to a Chevalier Gluck or a
Thalberg."--_Democrat Transcript_.
BUCHANAN'S "SYSTEM OF ANTHROPOLOGY." "We have no hesitation in
asserting the great superiority of the form in which it is presented
by Dr. Buchanan, whether we regard its practical accuracy or its
philosophical excellence."--_American Magazine of Homoeopathy_.
"The author has long been known as a distinguished Professor of
Physiology, whose name is identified with one of the most remarkable
discoveries of the age, the impressibility of the brain.... We are
confident Buchanan's 'Anthropology' will soon supersede the
fragmentary systems of Gall and Spurzheim, the metaphysicians and
phrenologists."--_Daily Times, Cincinnati_.
"Beyond all doubt it is a most extraordinary work, exhibiting the
working of a mind of no common stamp. Close students and hard
thinkers will find in it a rich treat, a deep and rich mine of
thought."--_Gospel Herald, Cincinnati_.
"They have had sufficient evidence to satisfy them that Dr. Buchanan's
views have a rational, experimental foundation, and that the subject
opens a field of investigation second to no other in immediate
interest, and in the promise of important future results to science
and humanity."--_Report of New York Committee (WM. CULLEN BRYANT,
Chairman)_.
"If he has made a single discovery in physiology, he has made more
than any previous explorer of that science, in furnishing us this key
to the whole of its principles, by his cerebral and corporeal
experiments."--_Report of the Faculty of Indiana University_.
"No person of common discernment who has read Dr. Buchanan's writings
or conversed with him in relation to the topics which they treat, can
have failed to recognize in him one of the very foremost thinkers of
the day. He is certainly one of the most charming and instructive men
to whom anybody with a thirst for high speculation ever
listened."--_Louisville Journal (edited by PRENTICE and SHIPMAN)_.
"To Dr. Buchanan is due the distinguished honor of being the first
individual to excite the organs of the brain by agencies applied
externally directly over them, before which the discoveries of Gall,
Spurzheim, or Sir Charles Bell--men who have been justly regarded as
benefactors of their race--dwindle into comparative insignificance.
This important discovery has given us a key to man's nature, moral,
intellectual, and physical."--_Democratic Review, New York_.
"THERAPEUTIC SARCOGNOMY." "In this work we have the rich results of
half a century of original thought, investigation, and discovery. Upon
the psychic functions of the brain, Professor Buchanan is the highest
living authority, being the only investigator of nature who has done
anything important for that neglected realm of science, to which the
world was introduced by the genius of Gall and Spurzheim. This work is
really a complete exposition of the great mystery, the united
operation and structural plan of soul, brain, and body."--_Medical
Advocate, New York_.
"Of the very highest importance in the healing art, is a work just
issued by the venerable Professor Buchanan. We have read the book from
cover to cover with unabated attention; and it is replete with ideas,
suggestions, and practical hints, and conclusions of eminent value to
every practitioner who is himself enough of a natural physician to
appreciate and apply them.... Having been cognizant of the very
valuable and original work accomplished by Professor Buchanan in
physiology, and having seen him demonstrate many times, on persons of
all grades of intellectual and physical health, the truths he here
affirms, the subject has lost the sense of novelty to us, and is
accepted as undoubtedly proven."--_American Homoeopathist, New York_.
"MANUAL OF PSYCHOMETRY: The Dawn of a New Civilization." (2d edition.)
"The like of this work is not to be found in the whole literature of
the past.... His name stands honorably among those who have extended
the real boundaries of knowledge."--_Home Journal, New York_.
"As an experimental science it is likely to make its way to
_universal_ recognition. But the recognition of psychometry
involves a _tremendous change_ in the opinions of the world,
the teachings of colleges, and the prevalent doctrines of science
and philosophy."--_Health Monthly, New York_.
"The friends of Professor Buchanan have been waiting now thirty years
for him to make a proper public presentation of his greatest
discovery,--psychometry, a discovery which the future historian must
place among the noblest and greatest of this great epoch of human
thought.... Every branch of the Theosophical Society should have a
copy, and study the book carefully."--_Theosophist, Madras, India_.
* * * * *
The above works may be obtained from the author, 6 James Street,
Boston. The price should be remitted by postal order--for the "Manual
of Psychometry," $2.16; for the "New Education," $1.50; for
"Therapeutic Sarcognomy," (2d edition to be published, ______ 1887,)
______ "Journal of Man," $1 per annum. "Anthropology" was exhausted
thirty years ago. Its place will be occupied by "Cerebral Psychology,"
not before the winter of 1887-88.
CONTENTS OF JOURNAL OF MAN.
Vol. I. February 1887 to February, 1888.
1. FEBRUARY.--Introduction to the Journal of Man--see cover of each
number.
The Phrenological Doctrines of Gall their past and present status
The Great Land Question
The Sinaloa Colony
Health and Longevity
Remarkable Fasting
Cerebral Psychology
Music
Insanity
MISCELLANY--Our narrow limits and future tasks; Palmistry;
Suicide; Theosophist Reviews; Apparitions of the Dead; Human
Responsibility in Hypnotism; Human Tails; Men who live in trees;
Protyle the Basis of Matter; The Keeley Motor; Mahphoon and the
Great Winkelmeier
Business Department and College of Therapeutics
2. MARCH.--Archtypal Literature for the future.
Chapter 1. General Plan of Brain, Synopsis of Cerebral Science
Superficial Criticisms, a reply to Miss Phelps
Spiritual Phenomenon, Abram James, Eglinton, Spirit writing
Mind reading Amusement and Temperance
MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE--Pigmies in Africa; A Human
Phenomenon surviving Superstition; Spiritual test of Death; A
Jewish Theological Seminary; National Death Rates; Religious
Mediaevalism in America; Craniology and Crime; Morphiomania in
France; Montana Bachelors; Relief for Children; The Land and the
People; Christianity in Japan; The Hell Fire Business; Sam Jones
and Boston Theology; Psychometry; The American Psychical
Society; Progress of Spiritualism; The Folly of Competition;
Insanities of War; The Sinaloa Colony; Medical Despotism; Mind
in Nature
Physiological Discoveries in the College of Therapeutics
Business Department, College of Therapeutics
3. APRIL.--Psychometry: The Divine Science
A Modern Miracle-Worker
Human Longevity
Justice to the Indians
MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE--Anatomy of the Brain; Mesmeric
Cures; Medical Despotism; The Dangerous Classes; Arbitration;
Criticism on the Church; Earthquakes and Predictions