Module 12

Module 12

Phineas Gage

Summary
Phineas Gage is a foreman of a construction gang that is blasting for the railroad.  In a horrible accident, a metal rod that he uses for tamping sand and black powder is shot through his cheek and out through the top of his head.  He is out in the middle of nowhere and it takes a while to get to a doctor.  For the first day after, he felt ok.  He had a big hole in his head but he believed he would be better soon.  Then, infection took over and he nearly lost his life.  Luck and a good doctor help him to recover.  He recovers bodily but his mind is not the same.  Information about the brain is extremely limited at the time.  Phineas becomes a walking test subject and will be instrumental in furthering knowlege of the brain and how it works.


Citation
Fleischman, John. (2002).  Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science. Boston: Houhgton Mifflin Company. 

Impressions
It is certainly a gruesome book.  I didn't like or dislike this one.  It is an interesting story and one that led to many breakthroughs in brain research but I found it a little boring in places.  I know it is a true story so it should not be imbellished but I thought it was a little long.  If it had been a little less detailed on the doctors, it wouldn't have bogged down so much.  I understand the premise of the book but, again, just didn't do alot for me. 

Review
 Engelfried, Steven. (2002). School Library Journal , Vol. 48 (3), p247.
Gr 5 Up --"The fascinating story of the construction foreman who survived for 10 years after a 13-pound iron rod shot through his brain. Fleischman relates Gage's "horrible accident" and the subsequent events in the present tense, giving immediacy to the text. He avoids sensationalizing by letting the events themselves carry the impact. The straightforward description of Gage calmly chatting on a porch 30 minutes after the accident, for example, comes across as horrifying and amazing. The author presents scientific background in a conversational style and jumps enthusiastically into such related topics as phrenology, 19th-century medical practices, and the history of microbiology. He shows how Gage's misfortune actually played an intriguing and important role in the development of our knowledge of the brain. The present-tense narrative may cause occasional confusion, since it spans several time periods and dates are not always immediately apparent from the text. Illustrations include historical photographs; one showing the iron bar posed dramatically next to Gage's skull is particularly impressive. Other photos and diagrams help explain the workings of the brain. The work of Gage expert Malcolm Macmillan, cited in the list of resources, seems the likely main source for the quotes and details of Gage's life, but this is not clearly spelled out in the text or appendixes. Like Penny Colman's Corpses, Coffins, and Crypts (Holt, 1997) and James M. Deem's Bodies from the Bog (Houghton, 1998), Phineas Gage brings a scientific viewpoint to a topic that will be delightfully gruesome to many readers.


Uses
I think you could get a brain model (might have to check at the high school if not at one) and discuss how right and left brain works and what happened to Phineas Gage by pointing out the part on the model. Also discuss the advancements even since the book came out.