Fleischman, John. Phineas Gage: a Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York: 2002. 86 pages. Tr. $216.00 ISBN 0618052526
Annotation
Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science is the incredibly story of Gage, a man who suffered a traumatic brain injury in 1848 and miraculously survived.
Review
In 1848 Phineas Gage worked as a railroad foreman in Vermont and on September 13th his life changed forever when a tamping iron shot through his head. A tamping iron is a 3 foot 7 inch iron rod used for packing gunpowder. In a horrifying accident the tamping iron shot through Gages cheek and out through his frontal lobe, literally leaving Gage with a hole in his head. It is incredibly that he survives this injury, but that he is able to walk and talk directly after. To all appearances Gage recovers from his trauma, but upon closer examination Gages personality is completely changed. This is because every part of the brain controls a specific function in our body, but in 1848 doctors did not know this and even today scientists still do not know what every part of the brain does. Gage is no longer the man he was before his accident, but he is still able to maintain a fairly normal life for the next 12 years until the brain damage he suffered early finally catches up with him and he passes away in 1860 in California. However, Gage did not die in vain, his accident and case greatly helped doctors and scientists of the time to better understand the brain and it’s different functions.
Awards/Honors
ALSC Notable Book 2003
Orbis Pictus Honor Book 2003
Front and Back Matter
Acknowledgements, Glossary, Resources, Index
Author’s Website
No website
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