Why is a 3-foot (1-metre) iron rod on display at the Warren Anatomical Museum in Boston?
Because it passed through the skull of Phineas Gage in 1848 without killing him. It did, however, dramatically alter his personality. The unfortunate event turned out to be a landmark in the history of neurology, demonstrating that different parts of the brain had different functions. Apparently, catastrophic injury to the frontal lobes of the brain could be sustained without causing significant neurological deficits, but not without affecting behaviour. To this day, a memorial plaque marks the spot where the spectacular accident occurred on September 13, 1848, in Cavendish, Vermont. Gage was employed by a railroad company as a foreman in charge of a crew laying new track. One of his tasks was to blast apart any boulders in the way. This involved boring a hole into the rock and filling it with gunpowder using a long iron tamping rod. On the fateful day, a spark ignited the powder prematurely, propelling the 11-pound (5-kilogram) rod through Gage’s left cheek and out the top of his head
