The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1850-07-27
A wONDERFULCAsE.D

lion 20 perfect health, which every one lrols .
"a b. 20 incredible per sc ~ 10 require thc !
Wgst absolute and overwhelming proof la e,
cry particular bciorr yielding b,licf
The time las been
fhatsie the brains we're out,rhr unn would ie."
liy and 10y, We shall begin 10 bclieye It posi-
bic for a man 20 live, aud be- wise and why
l9o, without any brains At ala notion that
seems 10 b. somewhat Of growing one IN
/ Congress and Ia some pnrisof the south, whcr'
/ II N quite evident thai the eiuptiest heads are
getting uppernost and carrying on all the
honors 81 li.uRion aud disoyally,
! The ease We aiiudc 20, whirh urrurrrdin
T Cw tUVtHHri Urur,atyrt, y--st- .l.I ....-
then one Of the nine days wonders Of the
prras, was that Of man who, hy premature
explosion while blasting rocks, bad large
bar Of iron driven through his head clear
through, travrrsinp face aud brain without
bcing killed on the slad or indeed, seeming
10 be- very unusually harmed thereby. The
American journal of the Medical scirncrs
has, for IT, initial article, full, complete, and
authentic history of the ease from the time
when il occurred on the 18Th Of September,
lSts, up 10 January Of the present year whcn
the palicut visited Boston aud was examined
by various medical hodcs and distinguished
practitioners, including DR. Henry j, Bigc-
low Professor Of SURGERY in Harvard Jui-
,crsily, by whom the description Is contribu.
ted othc Journal
The sufferer IN the case ,phmcas T., Gage,
young man Of twenty five, -hrcwd aud intel
liqcnt,' a contractor or head workman on the
Rutland aud Burlington Railroad, had rh,rg-
ed with pun powdcra hole drilled IN the rock.
aud Directed his assistant to Gll in the sand;
mppn.inF which done, he dropped his tamp-
ing iron into the hole to drive the ,and home.
II happened however, Though some mad
vcrtcnrr that tho sand had not hvrn' poured
in, aud the iron striking Grr upon the rock
the powder Wos iu1amcd and the accident
produced blythe Iron being blown out like
amrsl shot from gun. The nmpng iron
wa, rouud ryl thrive feet seven inches IN
lcugthyand an inch aud a quarter ia diameter,
IaP"ring e. Pointa At the top, aud Weighing
thirteen aud quarter pounds
The whole Of this immense weight and
lcng,h-thi- bar or bludycnn 81 iron va.
driven through Gage, face aud brain as hc
.toopcd over the hole, in the act oc tamping
the .nnd. Il struck him on tlyr len check
Just behind aud below the mouth assembled
into the brain b,hnd the len c,H, passed
irony the skull, which it shattered aud raised
up, like an inverted funnel ior distance
oi about two inches In every direction rguud
the wound, flew through the air, aud was
picked up by workman, covered with blood
and brainsi several rod, behind where he
stood. Gage, who was also more or less
scorchcd, was prostmtcd, apparently le,h ty
the blow Of the irun than tltc force of the cN-
plo,iou. He tell ON. his back. gave a few
con,ulsivc twitchc' of the cXtrrmitics, but
spoke in few mnutcs"' | lis men placed
him in an OK cart, ia which he rode trrcc
quarters of mile to his lodgngs, sitting erect,
D got out of the cart himself and with but littlc
assistance, walked To the piazza aud after
! wards upstairs, talking raiianally vomiting
of blood, the ctlprt of which caused hcmor-
= rhagr from the wound with the actual los
OF a considerable portion of the substance Of
r the brain ihc icft rye was duh aud CLASSY,
! but was sensible of the impression OF light.
Gage bore his suherimgs with heroic lorntude
telling DIR. Williams here is business enough
2 for YOU and expressing to DIR. Harlow the
I hope that he was not much hurt,
We merely note, generally, that for the
first ten days everything went ON we'll, Gage
bcingwith some intervals of natural deliriun
u from fever, pretty rational and hopeful, that
at the close of this period, he lost the sight
> of che len eye, and lay for nearly fortnight
in semi-comatosc state, or partial stupor, that
. he then began TO improve in body and mind
u was within two months, walking about in the
street, in defiance OF instructions, suffered a
Il relapse in consequence and, finally, being
= recovered from this was in the tenth week
= iico from pain, aud rapidly conyalcscing.
1t The leading feature ofths case, says Prof
:. tigelow, is its improlabiity. A physcor
who holds in his hands a crowbar, three feet
and halflong,and more than thirteen pound,
in weight, will not readily believe that il ha,
" been driveR-with crash through the brain
y of man, who is still able to walk ofr,talkinl
= with composure and equhimity of the hol,
in his head. Professor Bigelow who Justly
y describes the case ~ one perhaps unparallel
= ed in the annals of SURGERY says that he wa,
at first wholly sceptical, but that he was per
sonally convinced. Mr. Gage, as we said, Wis
tied Boston in January, aud was for SuInG
. time under the Professor r's~observation. who
y had his head shaved and a cast taken, which
= with the tampinp iron, is now deposited ii
= : the Museum OF the Massachusetts Metlica
College.
, CoNcEIT WORSE THAN -4avuHySCE.--