Johann Gaspar Spurzheim
Boston, Massachusetts
Gravesite; Skull
Spurzheim was born near Trier, Germany, in 1776 and died in 1832 in Boston while on a lecture tour. His body is interred at Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge. His skull is on display at Harvard University's Warren Anatomical Musuem in Boston.
Spurzheim was responsible for expanding and popularizing Gall's ideas of localization of brain function and corresponding irregularities of the skull. Although the assumptions of phrenology were severely criticized from the outset, Spurzheim's extensive publications and lectures led to a large popular following, primarily in England and the United States.
Supporters of Spurzhiem were responsible for securing the plot, the tomb, and the coffin for him following his sudden demise in Boston. He was laid to rest in the new Mt. Auburn Cemetery.
Burial site and Gravestone, Mt. Auburn Cemetery
Gravesite
Gravestone close-up, Mt. Auburn Cemetery
Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge can be reached by car along Brattle Street westward from Harvard Square, or along Mt. Auburn Street westward, if one has crossed the Charles River along Storrow Drive from Boston. Public bus lines #71 and #73 from Harvard Square also provide quick access to the cemetery. Or one can walk from Harvard Square in about 20 minutes.
To locate Spurzheim's grave, enter the cemetery along Mt. Auburn Street. If driving, leave car in the parking lot inside the entrace. Walk straight back on Central Avenue, past the office and Story Chapel. Walk through the intersection with Fountain Avenue (on the left) and Lawn Avenue (on the right). Immediately beyond this intersection, Spurzheim's tomb is located on the left, on a slight rise, adjacent to the road.
Spurzheim's skull
The head was removed from the body prior to burial. Spurzheim's skull, described as being unusually large, is currently on display at Harvard's Warren Anatomical Museum in Boston. Along with this skull are several items from Spurzheim's own collection, including headcasts of Gall, S. T. Coleridge, and Mendlesson-Batholdy. Since the museum prohibits photography, I do not have images from this site.
Spurzheim's collection is displayed alongside the skull of Phineas Gage and the tamping iron responsible for Gage's brain damage (but that's another story).
The Warren Anatomical Museum is located on the fifth floor of the Countway Library of Medicine in the Longwood Medical area at 10 Shattuck Street, Boston. This is at the rear of Brigham and Women's Hospital. Take the "T" Green Line (the "E" train) to Brigham Circle. Cross Huntington Avenue toward the river and walk down a short flight of stairs to a large plaza. The Countway Library is to the left. Enter and ascend via elevator to the fifth floor.
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