Mark Twain, Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, and the Head Readers: Literature, Humor, and Faddish Phrenology

Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) and Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes had lifelong interests in phrenology. Their writings, often humorous, reflect their negative opinions of the head readers and craniology, but not phrenology’s other tenets. This book shows how great literature can shed light on the science and medicine of the past.