The Mysterious Case of Phineas Gage

[Anthile]

Today I was in the library to read all my favourite science magazines like every month. Usually there is not much interesting or things that I don't know but this time I read about Phineas Gage and his weird, personality-changing accident.
However, there is not much I could tell you about this issue that the appropriate Wikipedia couldn't do better and in much more enjoyable English too so here you are:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phineas_Gage


Discuss.

 

[Polaris]

Perhaps this was how Walter Freeman got his inspiration......urgh

 

[Artifice Orisit]

I wonder what he was thinking when it happened...

Probably "OH SHIT, FUCK, OW" but it's still worth wondering about.

 

[Vegard Pompey]

I like the portrait of him at the top of the page. There's something eerie about it.

 

[Anthile]

Hm, the point was actually that this accident changed his personality completely.

 

[Claverhouse]

Interesting.

Well, actually, I would be amazed if having a long spike penetrate through the whole brain and being withdrawn did not alter one's personality. And it must have happened quite a bit on the field in the days of spears and pikes, if one survived.


I nearly didn't glance here since I thought it about the stern Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, the hypnotist and healer. Prolly cos the christian name Phineas is almost unknown*. I'm rather interested in mental influence; although I've never met anyone with this gift.



Claverhouse


* Not that Quimby is common, except for The Simpsons using it for the Kennedy clan in rather lewd humour.

 

[Inappropriate Behavior]

Hm, the point was actually that this accident changed his personality completely.

Claverhouse pretty much summed it up when he says he'd be surprised if there wasn't a personality change. After all, in the link there was a fun yet graphic description of when Phineas vomited and subsequently lost "half a teacupful of the brain, which fell upon the floor".

If I lost half a teacup of brain, who knows how I'd act but I doubt it would be what I am now.

 

[RubberDucky451]

Mr. Gage persisted in saying that the bar went through his head....Mr. G. got up and vomited; the effort of vomiting pressed out about half a teacupful of the brain, which fell upon the floor

Love this.

 

[Beat Mango]

It helps that he had such a cool name, too

 

[Jaico]

I'm interested in the proposed "social recovery" hypothesis - the idea that Phineas Gage was able to recover a lot of his former personality after the incident through a structured lifestyle/job. The implication, of course, is that those who have been affected somehow can also recover a lot of their 'old personalities' back...but then again, the social recovery hypothesis isn't quite grounded on anything other than "he doesn't look like a monster in this one picture," so it doesn't have much to back it up (yet).