Phineas Gage

Imagine an iron rod, three feet long with a diameter approximately the same as a pool cue. Imagine that this iron rod has a pointy tip, much like a pencil. Now imagine that this three-foot long, pointy tipped iron rod has been propelled by an explosion of gunpowder through the air. Now imagine that this iron rod, propelled by an explosion, has intercepted a human head in its trajectory through the air. Surely the impact would destroy this unfortunate skull, right? Not necessarily.

In the mid-1800’s, railroaders were still blasting away huge portions of rock with gunpowder. Phineas Gage was a foreman on a crew that worked drilling holes in the rock, filling them with gunpowder, and tamping them down. They would then light a fuse and run away as the rock exploded. No one is certain exactly how, but one day while Phineas Gage was working, the gunpowder exploded prematurely, sending his tamping iron through the air and through his head in an accident that should have killed him—but didn’t.

According to eyewitnesses, Gage was still speaking—and seemingly without pain—immediately after the incident. He described the accident to anyone who would listen, and survived despite predictions that he would almost surely die. Doctors were able to keep his wound from killing Gage, despite their lack of knowledge about bacteria and its role in infection, and they patched together his skull and face so that Gage was able to walk away from the accident seemingly unharmed.

Those who had known Gage before the accident, however, knew that despite appearances, Gage was not the same man. The damage to his brain may not have affected his ability to function physically, to talk, and to perform work, but it had forever altered his personality. Gage was now unable to interact in a socially appropriate way. He was now easily angered, prone to outbursts of profanity, and unable to make reasonable decisions. He was now only able to work with animals, and after a stint with P.T. Barnum’s freak show, he worked as a stagecoach driver before succumbing to severe seizures 11 years after his accident and died at the age of 37.

Gage’s brain injury was his legacy, and it has taught scientists much about how the mind works, in particular which functions the frontal lobes (those damaged in Gage) are responsible for. His experience, while traumatic, has been the foundation for many theories and discoveries about the workings of the human brain.

This book introduces readers to Gage’s story and offers a clear, concise explanation of how his injury contributed to psychology and brain science.