Professor Phineas Crowne was born in Toronto Canadawith a peculiar purple protrusion on his forehead. This curious anomaly sometimes impedes and sometimes accelerates Phineas' emotional and physical development and his navigation through the stages of life. From birth to death Phineas' must contend with his peculiarity and with excruciating headaches that worsen as he ages. Despite his infamous bulge Crowne's rare intelligence catapults him into the world of pseudo medicine. In the latter half of the nineteenth century, while studying under the tutelage of renowned phrenologist Orson Fowler, Phineas Crowne begins what becomes an amazing career in the city of his birth. Through “The Phrenologist” the author enlightens the reader on this lost science by paralleling the thirty seven bumps of the skull with the drama of Phineas' life. The abnormal growth remains a mystery until at the conclusion of the captivating tale the author reveals the shocking truth of the BUMP.