In 1848, Phineas Gage, a 25-year-old foreman, suffered the most famous workplace accident in history in Vermont. A 1-meter-long iron bar was propelled by an explosion, piercing his cheek and destroying his frontal lobe. The truth is that Gage not only survived, but walked to the doctor.
He healed physically, but lost 11% of his brain’s white matter. His friends said that “he was no longer Gage”. The brilliant man became an aggressive and unstable being.
This patient opened the door to modern neuroscience, proving that our identity depends directly on the health of our neurons.
