/oss/taxonomy/term/613/all en /oss/article/pseudoscience-history/you-should-have-your-head-examined <p>In the 18th century, Viennese physician Franz-Joseph Gall claimed that personality and intelligence were determined by the shape of the brain, which in turn was reflected by the shape of the skull. Examining the hills and valleys of the cranium supposedly gave clues about character traits and intellectual function. Murderers, for example, featured a particular type of skull protrusion, which differed from the bumps on the head in the intellectually gifted.</p> Wed, 30 Jun 2021 22:27:11 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8772 at /oss /oss/article/health-news/you-should-have-your-head-examined <p style="text-align:justify"><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2013/06/craniosacral-therapy.jpg"><img alt="craniosacral therapy" height="150" src="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2013/06/craniosacral-therapy-150x150.jpg" width="150" /></a>"You should have your head examined!" We've all heard that expression at some time after expressing some thought that was perceived as being ridiculous. Of course this is not meant to be taken literally. Nobody believes that stupidity can be diagnosed by physically examining the head. But there are people who believe that various medical conditions can be diagnosed in this way; in fact, not only diagnosed but treated. I'm talking about something called Craniosacral therapy. This rather unusual regimen can be traced back to Dr. William Sutherland, an American osteopath who practiced in the first half of the last century. Osteopaths believe that physical manipulation of the skeleton can alleviate many health problems. But Dr. Sutherland added a further twist. He contended that manipulating the bones of the skull was the key to curing illness. Why? Because such manipulation would affect the functioning of the cerebrospinal fluid, the fluid that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord. Sutherland noted that this fluid pulsed rhythmically and somehow concluded that changes in the natural rhythm caused disease. These irregular pulsations could then be corrected by gently manipulating the bones of the skull in order to alleviate restrictions on the flow of the cerebrospinal fluid. Sutherland was promptly labeled a heretic and a quack by other physicians but received strong support from many patients who claimed that a variety of health problems resolved with craniosacral therapy. And what does modern medicine say about this? Pretty well that it's all bunk. <a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2013/06/28/you-should-have-your-head-examined/">Read more</a></p> Fri, 28 Jun 2013 20:41:10 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1971 at /oss /oss/article/quackery/craniosacral-therapy <p>"You should have your head examined!" We've all heard that expression at some time after expressing some thought that was perceived as being ridiculous. Of course this is not meant to be taken literally. Nobody believes that mental increptitude can be diagnosed by physically examining the head. But there are people who believe that various medical conditions can be diagnosed in this way; in fact, not only diagnosed but treated.</p> Tue, 11 Sep 2012 15:45:05 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1722 at /oss /oss/article/quackery-you-asked/what-craniosacral-therapy <p>"You should have your head examined!" We've all heard that expression at some time after expressing some thought that was perceived as being ridiculous. Of course this is not meant to be taken literally. Nobody believes that stupidity can be diagnosed by physically examining the head. But there are people who believe that various medical conditions can be diagnosed in this way; in fact, not only diagnosed but treated. We're talking about something called Craniosacral therapy.</p> Sun, 18 Nov 2012 23:26:20 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1801 at /oss