Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1868-07-24
Mi tell u nc i II s .
A Wonderful Skull-Story Of {
Rem arka BILE Cura.
From The Boston Traveller, June 4th.

Az the meeting ot tne massachusetts
Med cal Society Oh "Wednesday. Dir. John
NJ. Harlow, physician and surgeon. of Wo
burn, but formerly Of Cayondish, Vt, read
a paper containing the history of mast
interesting case OF injury to The head, and
presented to the meeting the yertable skull
which sustained the njury.
This case occurred some twenty years
q %, in Cavendish. VT, and was described
ut leng.h in the Traveller u few days later.
On the 18Th of September. 1918. Phincas
p. Gage, foreman of "A gang of men en-
gagged in blasting deep cut in the contin.
uaiion of the Rutland and Burlington road,
had IL tamping iron blown through his
brains, and recovered within sixty days.
living twelve Years after.
The case caused great discussion when
reported by Dr.. Harlow in the medical
| journals at that time. and it was largely
disbclieved, many eminent surgeons declar-
ing the occurrence as described to be n
physiological inlpossbilty DR.. Harlow
in presenting the paper to-day, juftl said
that it is due to science thata case so
grave, and which, was succeeded by such
remarkable results Should not be lost sight
of; and that its subsequent story should
have II permanent record
Gage was a perfectly healthy, streng
ana active young man, twenty tive Years
u! age, of nervous bilious temperament, )
2 feet in height. average weight $50
pound, possessing an IRON will as well as
an iron frame, muscular system rcllIarka
| bly, well developed, having had scarcely a
days illness from childhood up.
As described in the paper read, it ap-
pears drilled hole had been charged with
powder. and he was about tamping it i'll.
tor, more popularity, ramning it down,
VIII II his attention was called for a mo
mcnt' Looking over his shoulder at his
men. he at the same moment rammcd
down the iron. surprising his assistant had
poured sand on the powder, as is the Gus
tom.
The iron struck fire from the rock, the
charge exploded, and the iron Was driven
up into his check and ont of the top of his
head high in the air and was altcrward
found several rods distant, smearcd with
blood and brains.
The tamping iron was l 2 feet in
leugth. inches thick. and pointed Il.
one end, the taper being seven inches long
aud the diameter of the point quarter OF
an inch. 1t weighed l3 pounds The
point was upward. and the iron smooth.
The missile entered, by its pointed end,
the left side of the face. Immediately AN
terror to the angle of the lower jaw. and
passing obiquely upward and slightly
backward, emerged out Of the top el the
head in the medan line, at the back part
of the frontal bone, near the eoronal
suturc.
The ordinary reader will understand it
better. if we say that. pointing upward. ii
entered the check outside the teeth, and
under the check bone, went inside an inch
behind the eye. and out of the top of the
head in the c,ntcr. two inches back of the
line where the inrelead aud hair meet.
| The patient was thrown on his back,
and gave few convuls!.e lnotons of the
cxtrelniles, but spoke in "a few minutes.
He was taken three-quarters OF mile in
sitting position in cart, got out OF the
cart himself with the aid OF his men, aud
an hour afterwards. with ths assistance OF
DR.. Harlow holding his arm. wa ked up a
/ fight of stairs to his room.
| He was conscious, hut exhausted from
loss of blood, which found its way from
the mouth into the stomach, and was eject
ed as often AS every fifteen Or twenty
minutes by vomiting. His bed an per-
soa were soon IA gore of blood.
One piece of skull had been broken out
in fragments; another piece was raised and
thrown back, like a door, the scalp serving
as hinge; and on the opposite side Of the
wound there was another fracture and an
elevation, The globe of the left eye was
partially protruded from its orbit, the left
side OF the face was more prominent than
the right. The opening in the skull was Z
inches wide by l2 long, and the brain
was hanging in sheds on the hair. The
pulsation of the brain could be distinctly
seen, and the doctor passed his finger in its
whole length, without the patiep, saying he
felt pain,