Surviving a Rod Through the Head

You’ve heard of him, haven’t you? Phineas Gage. The railroad worker who survived an explosion that involved an iron rod piercing through his left cheek and out of his brain and skull.

Yeah.

I know.

You’re probably wondering “yeah, alright sweet. What about him?” Well, let’s just say that he was a really popular patient for the field of neuroscience (Cherry, par. 1). And what I found the most interesting about this tragic event was the science of his behavior afterward.

For those of you who don’t know much about Phineas Gage, let me fill you in with the help of my research.

Phineas Gage, 25 years old, was a railroad worker in Vermont. One day, at work, he was using an iron rod to handle explosive gun powder. As he was using the iron rod to handle the gun powder, an explosion suddenly occurred. The iron rod then went through his left cheek and brain. Fortunately, he survived and was able to talk and walk after the accident (Cherry, par. 2–3).

Why did people say that Phineas Gage was a “different person” after his accident? It actually has to do with neuroscience.