ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the story of Phineas Gage, a railway foreman. One day, he made a vital mistake and his 1-metre tamping iron, used to pack down the explosive powder blasts, shot off and landed 30 yards away. Unfortunately, on its way, it entered Gage's chin and exited through the top of his head. Amazingly, Gage lived to tell the tale but with a changed personality as a result of his accident. He became a textbook case in brain science and one of the most famous case studies in psychology. Gage's contribution went beyond that of a medical freak. Dr. Harlow reported that Phineas could perform all the tasks that he could do prior to the accident, but that somehow there was something strangely different about him. It is possible that he travelled around the major towns in New England telling his story to paying customers who came to examine his skull and inspect his tamping iron.
