Phineas Gage

PSY 360

Phineas Gage

Phineas Gage, a 25 year old rail line worker, experienced a severe brain injury, and survived. Phineas and his work crew excavated rock in order to clear the way for a new rail line in Cavendish, Vermont (, 2006). This entailed drilling holes into the rock, filling the rock with gunpowder, a fuse, and sand. Once these items were placed into the hole, an iron rod was used to tamp them into place, directing the blast into the rock. The exact reason for the misdirection of the blast is unsure, though it has been speculated upon that the fourth step, adding sand, was skipped. The gunpowder exploded prematurely, driving the iron tamp directly through the left cheek, and exited out the top of Gage's skull. Gage remained conscious during...