Customer Reviews

An Odd Kind of Fame: Stories of Phineas Gage

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What a wonderful book this is! Malcolm Macmillan has not only presented a scientific and academic story of this important case, but has truly delved into the microcosm of who "Phineas Gage" was as an 'ordinary man' by carefully intertwining the social and cultural world he lived in with the incident itself, and its aftermath. I enjoyed it very much I know those who will read it from all levels of American life (whether they be physicians, scientists, historians or just plain folk), will enjoy it as well. I want to thank him very much - - not only personally, but on behalf of all the people of Cavendish and members of the Cavendish Historical Society, for all his hard work and the tremendous job he has done.

Malcolm Macmillan has done an excellent job of researching the life and times of Phineas Gage and presenting his story. I am especially grateful for how carefully he distinguishes between fact and conjecture, since much of Gage's life story is unfortunately incomplete and some aspects must be inferred. Within the context of Gage's injuries, Macmillan thoroughly reviews the development of scientific thought on the nature of consciousness. The section on ventricular physiology I found particularly interesting, as a scientist proposing that the basic concept may deserve revisiting. The mystery of consciousness is indeed the greatest mystery of our time, and Macmillan's book is a must-read for every student of the subject.

They say truth is stranger than fiction. The story is amazing. If this happened to someone today, the chances of them living would be better, but still a very good chance they would die. This happened in the 1840's, and if it wasn't enough for a tamping iron to go through your skull, the doctor sticks his finger in the head, and then purges you from both ends; for weeks, and then an infection sets up for two months, and he still lives through all this. What a guy. The author gives all the details, and explains away all the myths. It is all here. I guess it really boils down to one thing. If this detailed story, and point by point examination of who Gage was, and who he became is of interest, then this is your cup of tea. You will either love the book or loath it. You decide.... I loved it. I doubt if there will be a reprint. I went ahead and bought it in the Hardcopy format, and I'm glad I did, as I intend to keep this in my library (don't loan out your books).

Central to Malcolm Macmillan's book is the fascinating case of Phineas Gage, a railroad construction worker who, in 1848, was involved in an accident in which an iron bar shot through his head, severely damaging his skull and, supposedly, his brain. To everybody's surprise, Gage survived the accident. After he recovered, it turned out that Gage was not quite the same man anymore. He was unable to return to his job and traveled around quite a bit and held a number of odd jobs before he died twelve years later. His personality had profoundly changed as well: he became irritable, short-tempered, and irresponsible, among other things. In this book, all first-hand accounts of the accident are collected for the first time. MacMillan investigates a number of claims about the Gage case and concludes that very few of them have any evidence in their favor. The polemics of the author with other Gage-experts unfortunately detract from the story as they pertain to irrelevant details. The author attacks relativistic and social constructionist views of history which disregards actual facts (but where can such a historian be found?); these attacks are misplaced and irrelevant. In the end, MacMillan concludes that, historically, the Gage case was of no importance whatsoever. This begs the question as to why he filled over 400 pages with the case in the first place!