The disturbing story of Phineas Gage

The disturbing story of Phineas Gage

In 1848 a rail construction worker known as Phineas Gage suffered a work accident that would change neuroscience forever. 

On September 13, 1848, Gage was direct­ing a work gang blast­ing rock while pre­par­ing the road­bed for the Rut­land & Bur­ling­ton Rail­road south of the village of Cav­en­dish, Ver­mont. Whilst packing the explosive powder into rock in order to bore a hole, the 25 year old would turn to view his men working behind him. Gage opened his mouth to speak; in that same instant the tamping iron sparked against the rock and the powder exploded. The tamping iron +1⁄4 inches (3.2 cm) in diameter, three feet seven inches (1.1 m) long, and weighing 13+1⁄4 pounds (6.0 kg)‍—‌entered the left side of Gage's face in an upward direction, just forward of the angle of the lower jaw. Continuing upward outside the upper jaw and possibly fracturing the cheekbone, it passed behind the left eye, through the left side of the brain, then completely out the top of the skull through the frontal bone, landing 25 metres away. 

Gage would survive the accident and even speak a few minutes afterwards though would suffer long term personality changes. Described pre-accident as hard-working, responsible, and "a great favorite" with the men in his charge, nonetheless these same employers, after Gage's accident, "considered the change in his mind so marked that they could not give him his place again" 

Gage would go on to miraculously recover from his injuries but his case would have a long lasting impact on neurology and psychology.