Swedenborg's Brain and Sutherland's Cranial Concept Swedenborg’s Brain and Sutherland’s Cranial Concept*

In the middle eighteenth century Emanuel Swedenborg developed and described a sophisticated and unique model of brain and body function. While Swedenborg referenced many anatomic works of his day, his paradigm of the brain and body was unique and comprehensive. This involved much of his work during his scientific, philosophic period. One of the last major writings of this era was his work later published as The Brain, written in 1743–1744. Two hundred years later, William Garner Sutherland, D.O. developed a distinctive osteopathic cranial concept during the first half of the twentieth century. Sutherland’s cranial concept is also known as Osteopathy in the Cranial Field, a system of diagnosis and treatment within the osteopathic profession. Sutherland was familiar with Swedenborg’s works and made several passing references to Swedenborg. However, his use of Swedenborg’s ideas was much more than passing.