Phineas Gage

Phineas Gage
Eleanor McKnight
PSY 360
December13, 2010
Eboni Shields
Abstract
Though research of the brain many things have been learn on how the brain functions and what parts of the brain hold the importance of cognitive functioning. Phineas Gage's accident was just the start of the learning process for the field of anatomy, biology and neuroscience to learn the brain and all of the functions and wonders of the human brain. Since, Phinaes life the research has been able to uncover the many miracles on how his life changed on that fatal day which changed his life forever.

Phineas Gage
      The forebrain plays a significant part in cognitive functions. It is also the anterior
and largest portion of the brain. The forebrain includes the central hemispheres, that includes
the limbic system, thalamus, hypothalamus and the callosum. Each of the hemispheres are
  divided into four lobes. Frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal are the four lobes. The
  forebrain controls cognitive functioning. The cognitive functions are: sensory and motor
function, temperature regulating, reproductive, eating, sleeping, and displays emotions. In
1848 an unforeseen accident happen when Phineas Gage was preparing an explosive hole that
  required the use of a tamping iron. The tamper iron hit the rock causing a spark to ignited the
  explosive power and sent the tamper iron though the cheek bone on the left side and exited
through the top of   the head and   into the air landing 30 feet away. How might this affect his
  cognitive functioning?
Phineas Gage
      Phineas Gage would not know till months and years later what damage was done to his
  brain and how it would affect his cognitive functioning. John Martin Harlow was the
attending physician that cleaned Gage's wounds by removing small bone fragments and
replaced the large fragments of the skull that remained but where displaced. He covered the
wound by placing straps on Gage's head and a wet... [continues]

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