And yes, all the way through his head. It went into his skull just below his upper jaw on his left cheek, somehow missed his sinus, and up then out through the top of his skull. AND LANDED 80' FEET AWAY (allegedly). As much as it is incredibly bad fortune to have a tamping rod get blasted through one's skull, it cannot be emphasized enough just how precisely lucky Gage was to survive this at all. Significant amounts of brain were lost. A few mm in one direction or another and he would have either bled to death or suffered irreparable nerve damage. Then there's the fact that he did not die of subsequent infections, and that the doctor (Harlow) who was treating him had been paying very close attention in med school.
Sept. 22, 2022, 12:40 p.m. - Mike Ferrentino
And yes, all the way through his head. It went into his skull just below his upper jaw on his left cheek, somehow missed his sinus, and up then out through the top of his skull. AND LANDED 80' FEET AWAY (allegedly). As much as it is incredibly bad fortune to have a tamping rod get blasted through one's skull, it cannot be emphasized enough just how precisely lucky Gage was to survive this at all. Significant amounts of brain were lost. A few mm in one direction or another and he would have either bled to death or suffered irreparable nerve damage. Then there's the fact that he did not die of subsequent infections, and that the doctor (Harlow) who was treating him had been paying very close attention in med school.