Phineas P. Gage (1823 – 1860) was an American railroad construction foreman now remembered for his improbable survival of an accident in which a large iron rod was driven completely through his head, destroying much of his brain’s left frontal lobe, and for that injury’s reported effects on his personality and behavior—effects so profound that friends saw him as ‘no longer Gage.’
Long called ‘the American Crowbar Case, Phineas Gage influenced 19th-century discussion about the brain, particularly debate on cerebral localization (determination of areas of the cortex involved in performance of certain functions) and was perhaps the first case suggesting that damage to specific regions of the brain might affect personality and behavior.
The Daily Omnivore 
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