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The Curious Case of Phineas Gage

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Bateluer

Bateluer

Lifer
http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/16/reopening-the-case-of-phineas-gage/

This has been covered in every Psych class I've every taken, and its still fascinating.

120515072017-phineas-gage-rod-skull-model-story-top.jpg


Journey back a moment to September 13, 1848. Phineas Gage, 25, was working as a railroad construction supervisor in Vermont. In preparation for the Rutland and Burlington Railroad that was to be laid down, he was blasting and removing rock. But an explosion went awry, shooting a 13-pound iron rod through Gage's left cheek, passing behind his left eyeball and through his brain.

The fateful rod was found later "smeared with blood and brains," according to reports about the case.

Gage survived for almost 12 years after this accident, but people who knew him said he was no longer himself - he exhibited personality and behavior changes.

He couldn't come back to his railroad job, so he took up some manual labor jobs. He ended up traveling in New England and down to Valparaiso, Chile; his iron rod never left his side. He rejoined his family in San Francisco and died on May 21, 1860, probably because of seizures connected to the freak accident.

Now, scientists have new insights into Gage's brain.
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I've seen quite a patients with very similar injuries (although no railroad spikes) and symptom profiles. As interesting as it is to read about, it's even more intriguing and powerful (in both good and bad ways) in person.
 
So what is your point? Getting blasted through the brain with an iron rod changes your behavior? Shocking news, what a revalation.
 
Pr0d1gy said:
So what is your point? Getting blasted through the brain with an iron rod changes your behavior? Shocking news, what a revalation.
Click to expand...

Lol, no, not that. Directly correlating the damage to the specific structures and the resulting emotional changes was pretty groundbreaking. If he had been hit at a different place in the brain, the problems would have been completely different. It opened up the studies of functional neuroanatomy and psychology and was pretty groundbreaking. The introduction of cars was pretty cool back in the day. Now everybody is like "meh, cars." Same kind of reaction. Each were mind blowing in their respective times.

PS: I know troll is trolling.
 
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