Paul Topinard

Paul Topinard (* November 4, 1830 in L' Isle- Adam, † December 20, 1911 in Paris) was a French physician, anthropologist and university professor. As a student of Paul Broca he was his successor as director of the École anthropology and general secretary of the Société d'Anthropologie in Paris.

Topinard measured in the context of physical anthropology cranial capacities, in order to draw conclusions about the mental capacity of different ethnicities. He starts from the assumption that a larger cranial capacity corresponds with a greater intelligence.

Topinard coining the term criminology is attributed, he is said to have used for the first time in 1879.

Writings (selection )

• L' Homme dans la nature (1891 )
• Science et foi. L' anthropologie sociale et la science (1900)