Phineas Gage: His Accident and Impact on Psychology

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsPhineas Gage’s AccidentChange in PersonalitySeverity of Brain DamageImpact on PsychologyWhat Happened to Phineas Gage After the Brain Damage?

Table of ContentsView All

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Table of Contents

Phineas Gage’s Accident

Change in Personality

Severity of Brain Damage

Impact on Psychology

What Happened to Phineas Gage After the Brain Damage?

Close

Phineas Gage is often referred to as the “man who began neuroscience.“He experienced a traumatic brain injury when an iron rod was driven through his skull, destroying much of hisfrontal lobe.

Gage miraculously survived the accident. However, his personality and behavior were so changed as a result of the frontal lobe damage that many of his friends described him as an almost different person entirely. The impact that the accident had has helped us better understand what the frontal lobe does, especially in relation topersonality.

At a GlanceIn 1848, Phineas Gage had a workplace accident in which an iron tamping rod entered and exited his skull. He survived but it is said that his personality changed as a result, leading to a greater understanding of the brain regions involved in personality, namely the frontal lobe.

At a Glance

In 1848, Phineas Gage had a workplace accident in which an iron tamping rod entered and exited his skull. He survived but it is said that his personality changed as a result, leading to a greater understanding of the brain regions involved in personality, namely the frontal lobe.

On September 13, 1848, 25-year-old Gage was working as the foreman of a crew preparing a railroad bed near Cavendish, Vermont. He was using an iron tamping rod to pack explosive powder into a hole.

Unfortunately, the powder detonated, sending the 43-inch-long, 1.25-inch-diameter rod hurling upward. The rod penetrated Gage’s left cheek, tore through hisbrain, and exited his skull before landing 80 feet away.

The Recovery Process

Harlow noted that Gage knew how much time had passed since the accident and remembered clearly how the accident occurred, but had difficulty estimating the size and amounts of money. Within a month, Gage was well enough to leave the house.

In the months that followed, Gage returned to his parent’s home in New Hampshire to recuperate. When Harlow saw Gage again the following year, the doctor noted that while Gage had lost vision in his eye and was left with obvious scars from the accident, he was in good physical health and appeared recovered.

Theories About Gage’s Survival and Recovery

How Did Phineas Gage’s Personality Change?

Popular reports of Gage often depict him as a hardworking, pleasant man before the accident. Post-accident, these reports describe him as a changed man, suggesting that the injury had transformed him into a surly,aggressive heavy drinkerwho was unable to hold down a job.

Harlow presented the first account of the changes in Gage’s behavior following the accident. Where Gage had been described as energetic, motivated, and shrewd prior to the accident, many of his acquaintances explained that after the injury, he was “no longer Gage.”

Severity of Gage’s Brain Damage

Since there is little direct evidence of the exact extent of Gage’s injuries aside from Harlow’s report, it is difficult to know exactly how severely his brain was damaged. Harlow’s accounts suggest that the injury did lead to a loss of social inhibition, leading Gage to behave in ways that were seen as inappropriate.

In a 1994 study, researchers utilized neuroimaging techniques to reconstruct Phineas Gage’s skull and determine the exact placement of the injury. Their findings indicate that he suffered injuries to both the left and right prefrontal cortices, which would result in problems withemotional processingand rationaldecision-making.

Another study conducted in 2004 used three-dimensional, computer-aided reconstruction to analyze the extent of Gage’s injury. It found that the effects were limited to the left frontal lobe.

In 2012, new research estimated that the iron rod destroyed approximately 11% of the white matter in Gage’s frontal lobe and 4% of his cerebral cortex.

Some evidence suggests that many of the supposed effects of the accident may have been exaggerated and that Gage was actually far more functional than previously reported.

Why Is Phineas Gage Important to Psychology?

Gage’s case had a tremendous influence on early neurology. The specific changes observed in his behavior pointed to emerging theories about the localization of brain function, or the idea that certain functions are associated with specific areas of the brain.

In those years, neurology was in its infancy. Gage’s extraordinary story served as one of the first sources of evidence that the frontal lobe was involved in personality.

Today, scientists better understand the role that the frontal cortex has to play in important higher-order functions such asreasoning, language, andsocial cognition.

After the accident, Gage was unable to continue his previous job. According to Harlow, Gage spent some time traveling through New England and Europe with his tamping iron to earn money, supposedly even appearing in the Barnum American Museum in New York.

He also worked briefly at a livery stable in New Hampshire and then spent seven years as a stagecoach driver in Chile. He eventually moved to San Francisco to live with his mother as his health deteriorated.

After a series of epileptic seizures, Gage died on May 21, 1860, almost 12 years after his accident.Seven years after his death, Gage’s body was exhumed. His brother gave his skull and the tamping rod to Dr. Harlow, who subsequently donated them to the Harvard University School of Medicine. They are still exhibited in its museum today.

Bottom LineGage’s accident and subsequent experiences serve as a historical example of how case studies can be used to look at unique situations that could not be replicated in a lab. What researchers learned from Phineas Gage’s skull and brain injury played an important role in the early days of neurology and helped scientists gain a better understanding of the human brain and the impact that damage could have on both functioning and behavior.

Bottom Line

Gage’s accident and subsequent experiences serve as a historical example of how case studies can be used to look at unique situations that could not be replicated in a lab. What researchers learned from Phineas Gage’s skull and brain injury played an important role in the early days of neurology and helped scientists gain a better understanding of the human brain and the impact that damage could have on both functioning and behavior.

13 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Sevmez F, Adanir S, Ince R.Legendary name of neuroscience: Phineas Gage (1823-1860).Child’s Nervous System. 2020. doi:10.1007/s00381-020-04595-6Twomey S.Phineas Gage: Neuroscience’s most famous patient.Smithsonian Magazine.Harlow JM.Recovery after severe injury to the head.Bull Massachus Med Soc. 1848. Reprinted inHist Psychiat.1993;4(14):274-281. doi:10.1177/0957154X9300401407Harlow JM.Passage of an iron rod through the head. 1848.J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 1999;11(2):281-3. doi:10.1176/jnp.11.2.281Itkin A, Sehgal T.Review of Phineas Gage’s oral and maxillofacial injuries.J Oral Biol. 2017;4(1):3.de Freitas P, Monteiro R, Bertani R, et al.E.L., a modern-day Phineas Gage: Revisiting frontal lobe injury.The Lancet Regional Health - Americas. 2022;14:100340. doi:10.1016/j.lana.2022.100340Macmillan M, Lena ML.Rehabilitating Phineas Gage.Neuropsycholog Rehab. 2010;20(5):641-658. doi:10.1080/09602011003760527O’Driscoll K, Leach JP.“No longer Gage”: An iron bar through the head. Early observations of personality change after injury to the prefrontal cortex.BMJ. 1998;317(7174):1673-4. doi:10.1136/bmj.317.7174.1673aDamasio H, Grabowski T, Frank R, Galaburda AM, Damasio AR.The return of Phineas Gage: Clues about the brain from the skull of a famous patient.Science. 1994;264(5162):1102-5. doi:10.1126/science.8178168Ratiu P, Talos IF.Images in clinical medicine. The tale of Phineas Gage, digitally remastered.N Engl J Med. 2004;351(23):e21. doi:10.1056/NEJMicm031024Van Horn JD, Irimia A, Torgerson CM, Chambers MC, Kikinis R, Toga AW.Mapping connectivity damage in the case of Phineas Gage.PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e37454. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0037454Macmillan M.An Odd Kind of Fame: Stories of Phineas Gage. MIT Press.Shelley B.Footprints of Phineas Gage: Historical beginnings on the origins of brain and behavior and the birth of cerebral localizationism.Archives Med Health Sci. 2016;4(2):280-6. doi:10.4103/2321-4848.196182

13 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Sevmez F, Adanir S, Ince R.Legendary name of neuroscience: Phineas Gage (1823-1860).Child’s Nervous System. 2020. doi:10.1007/s00381-020-04595-6Twomey S.Phineas Gage: Neuroscience’s most famous patient.Smithsonian Magazine.Harlow JM.Recovery after severe injury to the head.Bull Massachus Med Soc. 1848. Reprinted inHist Psychiat.1993;4(14):274-281. doi:10.1177/0957154X9300401407Harlow JM.Passage of an iron rod through the head. 1848.J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 1999;11(2):281-3. doi:10.1176/jnp.11.2.281Itkin A, Sehgal T.Review of Phineas Gage’s oral and maxillofacial injuries.J Oral Biol. 2017;4(1):3.de Freitas P, Monteiro R, Bertani R, et al.E.L., a modern-day Phineas Gage: Revisiting frontal lobe injury.The Lancet Regional Health - Americas. 2022;14:100340. doi:10.1016/j.lana.2022.100340Macmillan M, Lena ML.Rehabilitating Phineas Gage.Neuropsycholog Rehab. 2010;20(5):641-658. doi:10.1080/09602011003760527O’Driscoll K, Leach JP.“No longer Gage”: An iron bar through the head. Early observations of personality change after injury to the prefrontal cortex.BMJ. 1998;317(7174):1673-4. doi:10.1136/bmj.317.7174.1673aDamasio H, Grabowski T, Frank R, Galaburda AM, Damasio AR.The return of Phineas Gage: Clues about the brain from the skull of a famous patient.Science. 1994;264(5162):1102-5. doi:10.1126/science.8178168Ratiu P, Talos IF.Images in clinical medicine. The tale of Phineas Gage, digitally remastered.N Engl J Med. 2004;351(23):e21. doi:10.1056/NEJMicm031024Van Horn JD, Irimia A, Torgerson CM, Chambers MC, Kikinis R, Toga AW.Mapping connectivity damage in the case of Phineas Gage.PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e37454. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0037454Macmillan M.An Odd Kind of Fame: Stories of Phineas Gage. MIT Press.Shelley B.Footprints of Phineas Gage: Historical beginnings on the origins of brain and behavior and the birth of cerebral localizationism.Archives Med Health Sci. 2016;4(2):280-6. doi:10.4103/2321-4848.196182

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Sevmez F, Adanir S, Ince R.Legendary name of neuroscience: Phineas Gage (1823-1860).Child’s Nervous System. 2020. doi:10.1007/s00381-020-04595-6Twomey S.Phineas Gage: Neuroscience’s most famous patient.Smithsonian Magazine.Harlow JM.Recovery after severe injury to the head.Bull Massachus Med Soc. 1848. Reprinted inHist Psychiat.1993;4(14):274-281. doi:10.1177/0957154X9300401407Harlow JM.Passage of an iron rod through the head. 1848.J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 1999;11(2):281-3. doi:10.1176/jnp.11.2.281Itkin A, Sehgal T.Review of Phineas Gage’s oral and maxillofacial injuries.J Oral Biol. 2017;4(1):3.de Freitas P, Monteiro R, Bertani R, et al.E.L., a modern-day Phineas Gage: Revisiting frontal lobe injury.The Lancet Regional Health - Americas. 2022;14:100340. doi:10.1016/j.lana.2022.100340Macmillan M, Lena ML.Rehabilitating Phineas Gage.Neuropsycholog Rehab. 2010;20(5):641-658. doi:10.1080/09602011003760527O’Driscoll K, Leach JP.“No longer Gage”: An iron bar through the head. Early observations of personality change after injury to the prefrontal cortex.BMJ. 1998;317(7174):1673-4. doi:10.1136/bmj.317.7174.1673aDamasio H, Grabowski T, Frank R, Galaburda AM, Damasio AR.The return of Phineas Gage: Clues about the brain from the skull of a famous patient.Science. 1994;264(5162):1102-5. doi:10.1126/science.8178168Ratiu P, Talos IF.Images in clinical medicine. The tale of Phineas Gage, digitally remastered.N Engl J Med. 2004;351(23):e21. doi:10.1056/NEJMicm031024Van Horn JD, Irimia A, Torgerson CM, Chambers MC, Kikinis R, Toga AW.Mapping connectivity damage in the case of Phineas Gage.PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e37454. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0037454Macmillan M.An Odd Kind of Fame: Stories of Phineas Gage. MIT Press.Shelley B.Footprints of Phineas Gage: Historical beginnings on the origins of brain and behavior and the birth of cerebral localizationism.Archives Med Health Sci. 2016;4(2):280-6. doi:10.4103/2321-4848.196182

Sevmez F, Adanir S, Ince R.Legendary name of neuroscience: Phineas Gage (1823-1860).Child’s Nervous System. 2020. doi:10.1007/s00381-020-04595-6

Twomey S.Phineas Gage: Neuroscience’s most famous patient.Smithsonian Magazine.

Harlow JM.Recovery after severe injury to the head.Bull Massachus Med Soc. 1848. Reprinted inHist Psychiat.1993;4(14):274-281. doi:10.1177/0957154X9300401407

Harlow JM.Passage of an iron rod through the head. 1848.J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 1999;11(2):281-3. doi:10.1176/jnp.11.2.281

Itkin A, Sehgal T.Review of Phineas Gage’s oral and maxillofacial injuries.J Oral Biol. 2017;4(1):3.

de Freitas P, Monteiro R, Bertani R, et al.E.L., a modern-day Phineas Gage: Revisiting frontal lobe injury.The Lancet Regional Health - Americas. 2022;14:100340. doi:10.1016/j.lana.2022.100340

Macmillan M, Lena ML.Rehabilitating Phineas Gage.Neuropsycholog Rehab. 2010;20(5):641-658. doi:10.1080/09602011003760527

O’Driscoll K, Leach JP.“No longer Gage”: An iron bar through the head. Early observations of personality change after injury to the prefrontal cortex.BMJ. 1998;317(7174):1673-4. doi:10.1136/bmj.317.7174.1673a

Damasio H, Grabowski T, Frank R, Galaburda AM, Damasio AR.The return of Phineas Gage: Clues about the brain from the skull of a famous patient.Science. 1994;264(5162):1102-5. doi:10.1126/science.8178168

Ratiu P, Talos IF.Images in clinical medicine. The tale of Phineas Gage, digitally remastered.N Engl J Med. 2004;351(23):e21. doi:10.1056/NEJMicm031024

Van Horn JD, Irimia A, Torgerson CM, Chambers MC, Kikinis R, Toga AW.Mapping connectivity damage in the case of Phineas Gage.PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e37454. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0037454

Macmillan M.An Odd Kind of Fame: Stories of Phineas Gage. MIT Press.

Shelley B.Footprints of Phineas Gage: Historical beginnings on the origins of brain and behavior and the birth of cerebral localizationism.Archives Med Health Sci. 2016;4(2):280-6. doi:10.4103/2321-4848.196182

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