Cesare Lombroso is an Italian prison doctor and psychiatrist, the founder of the anthropological school in criminology and criminal law—whose central idea became the concept of a born criminal. Lombroso’s main contribution to criminology is that he shifted the focus of study from crime as an act to the person—the criminal.
Why do some people inspire admiration with their abilities, even genius, while others carry the burden of mental deficiency, vices, and crimes? In his work, Lombroso traces a clear connection between genius and a person’s unconscious state, mental anomalies, the influence of the environment and society; he examines the origin and development of genius and foolishness through the lens of a biosociological theory. Interest in this book has not diminished even to this day, largely thanks to the many fascinating and often unexpected facts from the lives of great people. The book is addressed to psychologists, philosophers, forensic specialists, and all curious readers.