Face to face with Phineas Gage.
We present here a reproduction of a daguerreotype of Phineas Gage that came into our possession more than 30 years ago. It is, as far as we know, the only image of this famous patient. We describe how we identified the subject in the image, describe how daguerreotypes are made and set out our comparisons of the image with the Phineas Gage life mask and tamping iron held in the Warren Anatomical Museum, Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine.
Wilgus
Jack
J
Photographers and Photographic Collectors, Maryland, USA. phineasgage@brightbytes.com
Wilgus
Beverly
B
D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000266:history*; D000328:Adult; D001753:Blast Injuries / Q000266:history*; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000266:history*; D020197:Head Injuries, Penetrating / Q000266:history*; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008512:Medicine in the Arts; D010781:Photography / Q000266:history*; D011890:Railroads / Q000266:history*; D014707:Vermont