New Account of Phineas Gage
Almost everyone involved in representing or treating persons with traumatic brain injury is aware of the history and story of Phineas Gage. Mr. Gage, in 1848, was working as a railroad foreman for the Rutland & Burlington Railroad. Although accounts differ as to how his accident occurred, needless to say, while tamping gunpowder with an iron rod an explosion occurred causing the 13 ¼ pound tamping iron to be propelled. The iron entered Gage’s head point-first, striking below the left cheekbone. It passed behind his left eye and tore into his brain’s left frontal lobe. The incident has become a textbook lesson as it is claimed that Phineas Gage never lost consciousness despite having suffered a significant traumatic brain injury. Accounts of his life depict that Phineas Gage’s behavior was significantly changed for the worse following this incident.
I bring this story to everyone’s attention as a new article by Sam Kean entitled “Phineas Gage, Neuroscience’s Most Famous Patient” was recently published online in Slate. A link to this interesting medical story can be found by clicking here.