The Curious Case of Phineas Gage On the date of September 13th, 1848, one of the greatest medical miracles in history occurred. Not only was this case amazing, it was sounded too unbelievable to most and became liken into an old folk tale. However, this was no folk tale. The story of the living mad with a rod in his head was true and it stunned the entire medical community. This is the story of Phineas Gage. Working on a railroad is a dangerous job even in modern times. Thousands of people are hurt either working on railroads or being around railroads each year (Schottenstein, 2015). Therefore, as you can imagine, injuries and deaths were happening at an even higher rate in the 1800s. Phineas Gage was a railroad worker doing a job in Vermont …show more content…
“Gage did, according to Harlow, retain “full possession of his reason” after the accident, but his wife and other people close to him soon began to notice dramatic changes in his personality” (Constandi, 2006). Brain injury can often cause this type of personality change. It has been documented in many different cases. “ However, post-injury personality changes also meant that we dealt with bouts of intense anger, confusion, and unpredictable behavior” (Cromer, 2012). These types of personality can differ, however they are usually negative. This was seen in the case of Phineas Gage. Sadly his personality and temperament wasn’t the only thing that changed. Before the accident he was considered as one of the best workers on the job site (Constandi, 2006). However, after the injury, he could hardly work. (Constandi, 2006). “His contractors, who regarded him as the most efficient and capable foreman in their employ previous to his injury, considered the change in his mind so marked that they could not give him his place again. He is fitful, irreverent, indulging at times in the grossest profanity (which was not previously his custom), manifesting but little deference for his fellows, impatient of restraint of advice when it conflicts with his desires, at times pertinaciously obstinent, yet capricious and vacillating, devising many plans of future operation, which are no sooner arranged than they are abandoned in turn for others appearing more feasible. In this regard, his mind was radically changed, so decidedly that his friends and acquaintances said he was ‘no longer Gage.’” (Constandi, 2006). He sadly resorted to using his injury as an attraction to make money. He began traveling to do appearances so that people could see the injury and pay him for the “entertainment” (Constandi, 2006). He even decided to join up with the circus for a short period of time
How do major events and advances in technology affect different groups? In the 1800s, a transcontinental railroad was built. It connected the coasts of the US for the first time and, in the process, changed the lives of many. These changes, however, were both negative and positive. The railroad offered multiple benefits and opportunities to white settlers.
The transcontinental railroad was starting to be built in 1863 by two main companies, the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific. In the 1800’s the railroad was seen as one of the best things and also one of the worst things that took place in the US. The railroad brought many negative effects westward for the Native Americans and Chinese, but had many positive effects for Americans in the US. Some of these positive and negatives came from events like The Great Plains, Buffalo, Manifest Destiny, and Railroad Surveyors. This essay will focus on how railroad expanding westward created more positive opportunities for the Americans to start up new lives for themselves. But it will also focus on how the Americans and the railroad expanding westward took over the Natives Americans lives and left them with little to no land to survive with. Many other obstacles and situation also came along with the Americans as they tried to build up the railroad for the people of the US.
The research in this paper will come from three basic sources. The first source is over the internet. Using the key words Underground, Railroad and Ohio, articles and books will be found. The library will be the second source. Again the key words, Underground, Railroad and Ohio will be used to find and books and newspapers containing valuable information. A local specialist by the name of Mr. Henry Burke will be the third source for this paper. He will provide newspaper articles and stories that he discovered during his research. Interviews with him will also provide valuable insights into the knowledge he has gained throughout his research.
Each of which are all dangerous and require experience, which many men may not have had. Because of lack of experience, injuries and burns were common. Along with injuries, workplaces were not very sanitary meaning that outbreaks of sickness weren’t bizarre. Injuries occurred because of the fact that there was no safety equipment, faulty machinery and protective clothing. Even though the conditions were nearly unbearable, workers were too scared that if they confronted their employers that they would lose their jobs and because many of the workers had been alive during the depression in 1890 they knew that without work, life would be worse off. Getting sick or injured was what you could say as an atrocious situation. Men required fitness and strength in their workplaces and if they couldn’t provide that then they would have no hope in finding a job and would have also let their family down. Also, there was no government scheme in which the authority would provide you with a home or money. There was also no sick leave, workers compensation or superannuation for
In the late 1800s, the transcontinental railroad was underway from being built. For many in that day and age it meant a multitude of opportunities. But for others, it meant that everything that they had worked hard to bring into the world was going to come crashing down on them.
This article describes, in full detail, the many aspects of the transcontinental railroad. In this, there are a few mentions of pioneers, farmers, and regular people that have been affected by the railroad. This article is credible because it is a commonly used site and is quite accurate. The purpose of this website is to inform the reader about the transcontinental railroad. This site connects to this paper, because it provides facts about the transcontinental railroad that are useful in describing how the railroad affected farmers.
In the second half of the 1800 's, the railroad, which was invented in England,
Have you ever seen a railroad? Well, there was a time when railroads were desperately needed. This was the time of the Transcontinental Railroad. In my paper I will explain the purpose of the railroad, challenges the workers faced, and the results of the finished railroad.
Craft unions had been representing small groups of skilled workers since before the Civil War, but most unions never hoped to have a compelling authority over the economy. Also, during the unstable times of the years of recession in the 1870’s unions encountered superfluous public opposition. “The “Molly Maguires” in the anthracite coal region of Western Pennsylvania” were the most predominantly frightening to middle class Americans. (Brinkley 412) The Molly Maguires were a radical employment establishment that occasionally benefited from using brutality and seldom used murder as a tactic in their disputes with coal operators. Enthusiasm toward the group diminished alongside the panic that engrossed the United States for the duration of the railroad strike of 1877, which commenced when the eastern railroads declared a ten percent income cutback and escalated into something close to a class feud. Strikers argued rail service from Baltimore to St. Louis, demolished equipment, and rampaged in the streets of Pittsburgh and other metropolises. State armed forces were requested, and in July President Hayes demanded federal troops to overpower the complaints. Eleven campaigners died and forty were injured in a divergence involving workers and militiamen in Baltimore. In Philadelphia, twenty people were also killed when troops had to open fire upon “thousands of workers and their families who were attempting to block the railroad crossings” (Brinkley 412). Over one hundred people died in total before the strike came to an end numerous sorrowful weeks after it began. Conclusively America’s first major labor conflict was the great railroad
On May 10, 1869 as the “Last Spike” struck by Leland Stanford now connected the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads across the United States at Promontory Summit in the Utah Territory. The transcontinental railroads now complete and America is now destined to move to the forefront of the world’s stage. This new railroad system encouraged the growth of American businesses and promoted the development of the nation’s public discourse and intellectual life.1 At the same time, this new railroad affected many people positively
The Transcontinental Railroad was one of the most ambitious engineering projects, economic stimulants, and efficient methods of transportation in the early United States. If completed, the United States would be truly be united from east to west. The purpose of this paper is to examine how the Transcontinental Railroad helped develop new opportunities for many aspects of American life.
Railroads became extremely popular in America in the 1800’s. The railroad industry itself began to boom; it was supported by its reputation for speed and efficiency. But, along with the booming industry of railroads came the strong debate that
Another great invention of transportation during this time was the train. America’s first train was invented by George Stephenson in 1822, and by 1825 the train was the first locomotive. Obviously everything at this time was made by hand, and every part of this engine had to be hammered into shape just like a horseshoe. John Thorswall, a coalmine blacksmith, was George’s assistant. The invention of George was very important in America because it allowed transportation from place to place in a quicker time. This boosted the economy by helping distribute many goods all around the country. Even letters were being delivered faster, so communication was increasing.
Hi Hakim, The problem with the railroad workers was serious. As you mention in your post several work related incidents were overlooked, many were lamed or even killed working on the railroad. For years, this event was covered up. I believe what help the citizens to realize how dangerous the working conditions be the journalist. In that era, they were called the muckraker. The Muckrakers targeted corrupted business and their illegal practices. (Diner, 1998). The muckraker were the ones that exposed deplorable working conditions, big business corruption, unfair wages and child labor. Changes in society started to improve when the public became aware of the conditions.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Silas Weir Mitchell were part of two worlds, one having to live and be treated for a nervous condition and the other having to study the conditions of nerves. Yet, in this particular moment in the late-19th century United States, one can detect a dialogue between doctor and patient in each of their short stories. That is exactly what is detected between Charlotte Perkins Gilman and S. Weir Mitchell. While both The Case of Dedlow and the Yellow Wallpaper use fiction to express themselves more thoroughly about mental health and science, The Case of Dedlow is more concerned with the aspect of scientific case study while the Yellow Wallpaper focuses on indicting science. This paper will compare and contrast the narratives of the aforementioned short stories and discuss the significance of their reception and how their audience understood them.