3D-Printed Skull of Phineas Gage

This is a ¾ scale 3D printed replica of the skull of Phineas Gage (1823-1860), who survived a steel rod piercing the frontal lobe of his brain. The accident occurred on September 13, 1848 outside the town of Cavendish, Vermont, while Gage was setting a blasting charge. A spark ignited the gunpowder and propelled the tamping iron through his cheek and exited completely through the top of his frontal bone. He survived the traumatic injury, and after a lengthy recovery, survived 12 years. Arguably the most famous clinical case in history of neuroanatomy, aspects of the injury – particularly on how it affected his personality – are debated to this day. Gage’s skull resides in Boston, at Harvard University’s Warren Anatomical Museum at the Countway Library of Medicine.