Jean Pierre Flourens (1794-1867). 1880 illustration of the French physiologist Marie Jean Pierre Flourens. Flourens was a pioneer of the modern theory of brain function, and rejected Gall's theory of phrenology, which he considered a pseudo science. His studies of the brain brought him great eminence in neurophysiology, demonstrating that specific functions are controlled by specific sections of the brain. In his work on the central nervous system he performed vivisection experiments on pigeons, dogs and rabbits using extirpation and ablation techniques. He also opposed Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.