Phineas Gage is known as the man with the iron rod in his head. ItÃÂs been said that after the accident his personality suffered greatly which cause a dramatic life change. This change affected his relationship with family and friends as well as his ability to return back to his foreman duties that he loved and cherish. With the development of ÃÂGageÃÂ there now lay an understanding and explanation as to why. ÃÂGageÃÂ explains the relationship of the frontal lobe, which housed Phineas brain damage, and emotional behavior. This correlation between the frontal lobe and emotional response to stimuli is extremely important in rational emotional behavior. Once tampered the balance between rational and irrational emotional behavior is no longer recognized.
Accident Phineas Gage was a railroad construction foreman with Rutland and Burlington Railroad. He was well liked, respectful and honest. September 13th, 1848 Gage was working near Cavendish in the state of Vermont, when an iron rod shoots through his head after an accidental explosion.
Skull diagram of Phineas Gage
Phineas Gage displaying ptosis after his famous br...
gage entrance 612The tamping rod was 3 feet 7 inches long, weighed 12 ý pounds, 1 ü inches in diameter on one end and tapered over a distance of approximately 1-foot to a diameter of 1/4 inch at the other end. The iron went from under his cheek bone through the top of his head landing about 25-30 yards behind him. He was treated by Dr. John Martyn Harlow in Cavendish and after 10 weeks he was able to return home to Lebanon in New York. However talking, walking and performing normal daily activities his personality was never quite the same. Gage felt strong enough to return to work several months later however his change in personality caused reluctance by the contractors who hired him. Prior to the accident he was considered the most efficient foreman, very...