COMBE, GEORGE, a well-known phrenologist and moral philosopher, was b. Oct. 21, 1788, in Edinburgh, where he was educated. Entering the legal profession, he became a writer to the signet in 1812, and continued to practice until 1837, when he resolved to devote himself to scientific pursuits, for which he had always manifested a predilection. As early as 1816, he made the acquaintance of Dr. Spurzheim, while the latter was on a visit to Scotland, but at first regarded his phrenological system with aversion. Inves tigation, however, convinced him that phrenology was based on fact. The result was his Essays on Phrenology (1819). Five years later, appeared his AV:item of Phrenology, which became very popular, and reached a fifth edition in 1843; besides being reprinted in America, and translated into French and German. But his most important produc tion is The Constitution of Man considered in Relation to External Objects (1828; 9th ed. 1830). This work endeavors to demonstrate, what it is strange should ever have been denied, the essential harmony of the nature of man with the surrounding world, and the necessity of studying the laws of nature, in order that we may realize the advantages of the external world, lessen our exposure to outward evils, and carry out successfully man's physical, moral, and social improvement. C.'s doctrines were violently opposed, being considered by many as inimical to revealed religion: but now that the heat of con troversy has cooled, it is seen that, in their main aspects, they were not liable to the objections urged; and they are, to a large extent, adopted in the physico-social reforms of the present day. Nearly 100,000 copies of the work have been sold in this country; numerous editions have been printed also in America, and it has been translated into French, German, and Swedish. C. contributed largely to the Phrenological Journal (20
vols., 1824-47). He traveled in Germany and America, and published Notes of his expe riences. His death occurred on 14th 1838. Mr. C. married, in 1833, Cecilia, daughter of the celebrated Mrs. Siddons;Thy whom he was survived. Besides the works mentioned, lie wrote Elements of Phrenology (1824; 9th ed. 1862); Lectures on Popular Education (1833; 3d ed. 1848); Moral Philosophy (1840; 3d ed. 1846); Life and Correspondence of Andrew Combe, M.D. (1850); Principles of Criminal Legislation and Prison Discipline (1854); Phrenology applied to Painting and Sculpture (1855); and The Currency Question considered in Relation to the Rank Restriction Act, 7 and 8 Viet. e. 32 (1855; 8th ed. 1858), etc. The latest of his works—in which the importance of natural religion, and the duty and advantage of obedience to its precepts, are eloquently enforced—is on The Relation between. Science and Religion (1837). Endowed with great activity and an earnest apostolic spirit, C. was fond of lecturing on his favorite subjects, and delivered many successful courses not only in various parts of the United Kingdom, but in the United States, and even in Germany. As a citizen, he took a zealous part in promoting parliamentary reform, the abolition of the corn laws, and a system of national education available to every sect on equal terms. His collection of books on phrenology was given to the advocates' library in Edinburgh. See the Life by Charles Gibbon (1878).