Bumps, elongating noses, and abnormal skull bones: pseudo-neuroanatomy and Lombrosian Echoes in Collodi's Pinocchio
1Innovation, Research and Teaching Service, Teaching Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical Private University (PMU), Azienda Sanitaria dell'Alto Adige, Via A. Volta, 13, Bolzano-Bozen, 39100, Italy. francesco.brigo@sabes.it.
Abstract:
The bicentenary of Carlo Collodi (1826-1890)'s birth offers an opportunity to reconsider how Pinocchio (1881-1883) reflects nineteenth-century ideas about brain morphology, physiognomy, and criminal anthropology. Focusing on the donkey-metamorphosis episode and its reference to an invented cranial structure, the analysis shows how Collodi engages with contemporary claims, associated in particular with Franz Joseph Gall (1758-1828) and Cesare Lombroso (1835-1909), that behavioural traits could be inferred from cranial anatomy. The discussion also considers the physiognomic motif of the elongating nose, linked to the tradition of Johann Caspar Lavater (1741-1801), and the broader cultural presence of phrenological language in Italy, including early attestations such as Giovanni Rajberti (1805-1861). By situating Pinocchio within these scientific and pseudo-scientific debates, the article highlights its relevance to the historical development of neurological thought.
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