Icon, revealed

Newly discovered image offers fresh insights about medical miracle

For decades, neurological and psychological researchers have been intrigued by the case of Phineas Gage. Now, scientists believe they have discovered an image of him taken in the mid-19th century. They say he is holding the 3-foot piece of iron that rocketed through his skull. (From the collection of Jack and Beverly Wilgus)

By Stephen Smith

Globe Staff / July 22, 2009

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For a century and a half, the saga of Phineas Gage has captivated brain researchers, psychology students, even buskers, their lugubrious odes memorializing the railroad man whose brain was pierced by an iron bar. (Full article: 1234 words)