Phrenological Development of Robert Burns From a Cast of His Skull Moulded at Dumfries, the 31st Day of March 1834

"Phrenological Development of Robert Burns" by George Combe is a detailed study from the 1830s that looks at the skull of the famous poet Robert Burns through the lens of phrenology, a popular science of the time that tried to link a person's skull shape to their personality and abilities. Combe presents a measurement-based assessment, exploring how the size and shape of Burns's skull might relate to his talents, feelings, and moral sense. The book suggests Burns had a mix of strong feelings, creative gifts, and complex emotions that, when combined with certain basic instincts, made him capable of both amazing achievements and great personal struggles. The author thinks about how Burns’s life and social position might have shaped how these traits showed themselves, and what could have happened if Burns's life circumstances had been different.