Science and Pseudo-Science in Poe's Works Page: iv
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These two, cryptography and phrenology, have been settled
with a fair degree of definiteness. I have been able to
establish the truth or falaity of very little of the maths-
matical and astronomical material in Poets essay Eureka.
The opinions of those who have discuped this longest of
Poe s pseudo-soientific essays have been carefully considered;
it is apparent that much remains to be done in interpreting
this work.
For the purposes of this study I have divided the field
of science into the following headat medicine, chemistry,
biology, navigation, meteorology, astronomy, physics, mathe-
matics, and invention. I have classified as pseudo-sciences
the following subjects: psychology, metaphysics, phrenology,
astrology, galvanism, mesmerism, logic reasoning, cryptography,
and graphology, The basis for such classification, with the
exception of phrenology and psychology, is Poe's use of these
subjects and their status in the first half of the nineteenth
century. I have classified phrenology as a pseudo-soience
because it does not have the status of a science at the
present time. In the nineteenth century phrenology was
generally recognized as a branch of science; psychology,
which is today recognized as a science, was not at that
time regarded as a field of scientific investigation. I
have considered it best to make this division because Poe's
treatment of psychology is not scientific, and the claims of
phrenology have been disproved by investigation. I haveiv
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Hall, Thomas. Science and Pseudo-Science in Poe's Works, thesis, August 1938; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc29889/m1/4/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .