<P> Phrenology ( from Greek φρήν ( phrēn ) , meaning ' mind ' , and λόγος ( logos ) , meaning ' knowledge ' ) is a pseudomedicine primarily focused on measurements of the human skull , based on the concept that the brain is the organ of the mind , and that certain brain areas have localized , specific functions or modules . Although both of those ideas have a basis in reality , phrenology extrapolated beyond empirical knowledge in a way that departed from science . Developed by German physician Franz Joseph Gall in 1796 , the discipline was very popular in the 19th century , especially from about 1810 until 1840 . The principal British centre for phrenology was Edinburgh , where the Edinburgh Phrenological Society was established in 1820 . </P>
the study of the bumps on the skull to determine personality traits is known as
Phrenology