On September 13 , 1848 , railway foremanPhineas Gagesuffered one of the most horrific workplace accidents in history when an atomic number 26 bar punched ahole in his skull , obliterating a pregnant part of his brain . Despite the wound , Gage lived for another 12 - and - a - one-half years , remaining active and ( comparatively ) normal throughout .
For the first time , scientist have reconstructed Gage ’s boldness as it appeared at the metre of the freak injury . Thefacial approximationwas produced by 3D designer and forensic expert Cícero Moraes , who create a digital model based on computed tomography scans of Gage ’s skull , which had been donate to Harvard Medical School ’s Warren Anatomical Museum after his death .
The incident come as Gage prepared to blow up some rocks during the construction of a railway air in Vermont . At some full stop , the foreman mislay his focus and dropped the heavy iron rod cell that he was using to tamp down the gunpowder .
The injury suffered by Phineas Gage, and his appearance following his recovery.Image credit: Cícero Moraes
The rod then struck a rock and roll , causing a spark which set off the powder . This make the rod to be fired like a harpoon , entering Gage ’s skull via the odd cheek before exciting at the top of the cranium .
Measuring 1.09 meters ( 3.6 metrical unit ) in duration and 3.18 centimeters ( 1.25 inches ) in diameter , and weighing around 6 kilo ( 13.2 pounds ) , the solid metallic element rocket eventually landed more than 10 meters ( 33 foot ) behind Gage , leaving a lead of line and nous tissue in its Wake Island .
The stricken worker was then transported back to his hotel on an ox pushcart , before apparently wax the stairs to his elbow room single-handed . The physician who came to examine him later removed around 28 grams ( 1 oz. ) of mangle brain before bandaging Gage ’s skull .
implausibly , Gage was back on his feet within a month and later moved to Chile to put to work as a stable hand . Despite his remarkable physical recovery , however , admirer and colleagues noted that Gage was not the same somebody after his injury .
For representative , he was described as wide-eyed in his intellectual capacitance and is reported to have become somewhat unpleasant , showing short regard to other people and grow a potty mouth . He eventually died on May 21 , 1861 , precisely 12 days , six months and eight mean solar day after losing part of his brain to an iron gat .
During the Reconstruction Period of Gage ’s face , Moraes confirmed that the majority of the harm appear to be concentrated around the unexpended frontal lobe of the brain . Noting how this wound altered Gage ’s personality , brain surgeonslater adopt to deliberately removing section of the frontal lobe in patients with mental illness or unsuitable character traits - a process know as a frontal lobotomy .
unluckily , however , manylobotomypatients terminate up in far bad condition than Phineas Gage .
A description of the facial Reconstruction Period process can be foundhere .
