Phineas Gage is often referred to as the "man who began neuroscience,” because he experienced a traumatic brain injury when an iron rod was driven through his skull, destroying much of his frontal lobe.
On September 13, 1848, 25-year-old Gage was working as the foreman of a crew preparing a railroad bed near Cavendish, Vermont.
He was using an iron tamping rod to pack explosive powder into a hole.
Unfortunately, the powder detonated, sending the 43-inch-long, 1.25-inch-diameter rod hurling upward.
The rod penetrated Gage's left cheek, tore through his brain, and exited his skull before landing 80 feet away.
Gage not only survived the initial injury but was able to speak and walk to a nearby cart so he could be taken into town to be seen by a doctor.
He was still conscious later that evening and able to recount the names of his co-workers.
Gage even suggested that he didn't wish to see his friends since he would be back to work in "a day or two" anyway.
After developing an infection, Gage spent September 23 to October 3 in a semi-comatose state.
On October 7, he took his first steps out of bed, and, by October 11, his intellectual functioning began to improve.
In the months that followed, Gage returned to his parent's home in New Hampshire to recuperate.
When the doctor saw Gage again the following year, he noted that while Gage had lost vision in his eye and was left with obvious scars from the accident, he was in good physical health and appeared recovered.