Phineas Gage (1823 - 1860) was an American railroad construction foreman remembered for his improbable survival of an accident in which a 13-pound 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 over the remaining 12 years of his life—effects sufficiently profound that friends saw him as “no longer Gage”:

 

“He is fitful, irreverent, indulging at times in the grossest profanity (which was not previously his custom), manifesting but little deference for his fellows, impatient of restraint or advice when it conflicts with his desires.”

- Dr. John Martyn Harlow

 

“If we remember correctly, the iron passed through the regions of the organs of benevolence and veneration, which left these organs without influence in his character, hence his profanity, and want of respect and kindness.”

-Dr. Nelson Sizer