On September 13,
1848 Phineas Gage, a foreman, was working with his crew excavating rocks in
preparing the bed for the Rutland and Burlington Railroad in Cavendish. An
accidental explosion of a charge he had set blew his tamping iron through his
head. It entered under the
left cheekbone and exited through the top of the head. The rod, covered with
brains and blood, was found approximately 30 yards from the site of the
accident.
It is remarkable
that Gage survived this accident, let alone lived for 11 more years.
Fortunately Dr. Harlow and Dr. Henry J. Bigelow, a professor of surgery at
Harvard University, tracked Gage as much possible, thereby documenting one of
the first cases of traumatic brain injury in medical science. It was also the
first understanding that different parts of the brain have different functions.
With this knowledge, the first brain tumor removal operation became possible in
1885.
On September 14, at
2 pm, the Cavendish Historical Society will hold it’s yearly “talk and walk,”
which includes a discussion of the accident, the latest historical information
about the case and an approximately two mile round trip walk to the location of
the accident. Meet at the Cavendish Historical Society Museum at 2 pm. FMI:
802-226-7807 or margoc@tds.net
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