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Franz Joseph Gall used a broad variety of phenomena in support of his organology. Well known are his observations on anatomical features of the brain, species-specific behavioral patterns, the observation that some individuals may excel in one faculty while being mediocre in others, changes in the organs with development and aging, and how the organs associated with the faculties might be affected by diseases and acute brain lesions. We here present a widely overlooked source: his observations on individuals then classified as "deaf and dumb." We discuss how these observations were presented by Gall in support of his organology and in his disputes with empiricists and sensationalists about the nature of mind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Margaret Kennard was an American pioneer in the experimental study of sparing and recovery of function. Her most famous experiments were performed on monkeys and apes at Yale University during the late 1930s and early 1940s. By describing the behavioral effects of brain damage on infantile, juvenile, and older primates, she drew new attention to just how important developmental status can be at the time of neural insult. Kennard also conducted experiments which showed that even adult primates can exhibit significant sparing and recovery of function, especially if brain lesions are made in stages rather than all at once. In many respects, Kennard helped launch the modern era of research on sparing and recovery of function by demonstrating that several factors in addition to lesion locus can affect post-injury performance and by recognizing that, if neural reorganization does occur, it probably takes place in spared parts of the damaged system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]