What doesnt kill you makes you stronger.
What Happened to Phineas Gage?
Gage was an ordinary man, which is probably why his extraordinary survival made no newspaper headlines.
He was a foreman by profession, and a great one at that.
All it took was a split second to cause an explosion.
It was Dr Harlow who gave a full account of the case to the Boston Medical Surgery Journal.
The period of convalescence involved two weeks in a semi comatose state and doses of medicines.
Harlow reported that the man had retained his cognition and intelligence, even his memory.
But major changes had occurred in his personality.
He was no longer himself, and became unable to hold a job with responsibility or commitment.
The major condition that he developed was epilepsy, which soon increased in frequency as well as severity.
A) The skull of Phineas Gage on display at the Warren Anatomical Museum at Harvard Medical School.
B) This figure shows the possible rod trajectory.
Harlow suggested that his mother donate his skull to the University, which she did.
For years Phineas continued to inspire revelations in medical sciences and wonder about the capabilities of the human body.
A new school of thought emerged studying the correlation between the mind and the brain.
Before Phineass accident, the frontal lobes were not known to influence or control human behaviour.
The degree of change, then, remains questionable for its veracity.
Phineas Gage after the accident.
