- Hardcover: 576 pages
- Publisher: MIT Press; illustrated edition edition (14 Sep 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0262133636
- ISBN-13: 978-0262133630
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 16 x 4.1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 998,582 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Review
"...a historical tour de force." Daniel Tranel, Ph.D. The New England Journal of Medicine "The book's success lies in... Macmillan's skill as a writer... and his passion for collecting and presenting evidence." Ian Glynn Nature
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
In 1848 a railway construction worker named Phineas Gage suffered an accident that made him a major curiosity of medicine and a significant figure in psychology and neuroscience: an explosion caused a tamping iron to be blown competely through his head, destroying the left frontal lobe of his brain. Gage survived the accident and remained in reasonable physical health for another 11 years. But his behaviour changed markedly after the injury, and his case is considered to be the first to reveal the relation betwen the brain and complex personality characteristics. Yet almost nothing is known about him, and most of what is written is seriously in error. In this book Malcolm Macmillan, a leading authority on Gage, covers all aspects of this fascinating story. He describes Gage's family and personal background, the context of his work and the accident, and Gage's subsequent history. He analyzes contemporary medical and newspaper reports of the accident and its consequences, and evaluates the treatment Gage received form Dr. John Martyn Harlow. He also looks at Harlow's own life and work. Macmillan examines Gage's place in this history of how functions came to be localized in the brain. He explores the many ways that Gage's tale has been represented and misrepresented through the years in popular, fictional and scientific works. One of Macmillan's primary aims is to rescue the case from the predominantly fantastic accounts so that its real contribution to modern neuroscience can be understood. Partly for this reason, the appendices include facsimiles of Harlow's 1848 and 1868 reports, the primary sources about Gage and previously unpublished CAT scans of Gage's skull made in 1982.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Fascinating story, diligent research. Macmillan provides a clear-eyed view of the Gage story, free of the mythologising that has grown up since.
Read more at http://www.nthposition.com/anoddkindoffame.php
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4 reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
An Odd Kind of Fame
17 Aug 2000
Format:Hardcover
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.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
A Fascinating Story
1 Oct 2000
Format:Hardcover
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.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Better Than Fiction
24 Jan 2008
Format:Hardcover
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).
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