The Man Who Survived an Iron Rod Through His Skull

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]Phineas Gage was a railroad construction foreman who in 1848 had a iron tamping rod accidentally driven through his skull while packing explosive powder into a rock. The rod entered under his left cheekbone, passed behind his left eye, and exited the top of his head.

[00:00:20]Eyewitnesses reported he was conscious and speaking within minutes, and he remarkably survived. Later observers said his personality changed significantly after the injury, and his case became influential in early studies of how the frontal lobes affect behavior. The tamping iron associated with Gage is preserved and displayed in medical collections today.