Phineas Gage: Following Phineas Gage

by John Fleischman
This work of scientific nonfiction tells the story of Phineas Gage, a railroad construction foreman from Vermont who, in 1848, suffered an injury that revolutionized neuroscience.

Here are links to our lists for the book: "Horrible Accident" in Vermont, What We Thought About How We Thought, Following Phineas Gage, Putting Phineas Together Again
15 words 7 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. tendency
    an inclination to do something
    The story of Phineas Gage is famous, and when people repeat famous stories they have a tendency to improve them.
  2. gawk
    look with amazement
    People have always gawked at strange and unusual things.
  3. protrude
    extend out or project in space
    Actually, of course, the iron bar no longer protruded from Gage's head but he had it with him, and another skull, also perforated.
  4. perforated
    having a hole cut through
    Actually, of course, the iron bar no longer protruded from Gage's head but he had it with him, and another skull, also perforated.
  5. skeptic
    someone who habitually doubts accepted beliefs
    All the details were to be found in a pamphlet he sold, and by paying ten cents extra, skeptics could part Gage's hair and see his brain, what there was left of it, pulsating beneath the new, thin covering.
  6. pulsate
    expand and contract rhythmically
    All the details were to be found in a pamphlet he sold, and by paying ten cents extra, skeptics could part Gage's hair and see his brain, what there was left of it, pulsating beneath the new, thin covering.
  7. instinctive
    unthinking
    Phineas is intent on his team, on the slope of the road, and on the big, rocking coach. His decisions are quick and instinctive, based on long habit.
  8. outmoded
    no longer in fashion
    It's outmoded treatment, even for 1860.
  9. hypothermia
    subnormal body temperature
    The immediate cause of death is probably hypothermia—his body can't control its internal temperature.
  10. circulation
    the movement of blood through the heart and blood vessels
    If you keep losing heat, the brain shuts down blood circulation over a larger and larger area of your skin.
  11. autopsy
    an examination and dissection of a dead body
    Broca is still unable to study a living brain, but he has been performing autopsies on the brains of stroke victims.
  12. cordial
    politely warm and friendly
    They exchange cordial letters.
  13. impairment
    the condition of having a physical or mental disability
    "This case has been cited as one of complete recovery...without any impairment to the intellect," he says, but in truth, Phineas's personality changed drastically after the accident.
  14. shrewd
    marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
    "Previous to his injury, though untrained in the schools, he possessed a well-balanced mind, and was looked upon by those who knew him as a shrewd, smart business man, very energetic and persistent in executing all his plans of operation. In this regard, his mind was radically changed, so decidedly that his friends and acquaintances said he was 'no longer Gage.'"
  15. subsequent
    following in time or order
    "I think you have been shown that the subsequent history and progress of the case only warrant us in saying that physically, the recovery was quite complete," says Dr. Harlow.
Created on Wed Apr 08 08:22:47 EDT 2026 (updated Fri Apr 10 17:39:50 EDT 2026)

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