Head cast of Phineas Gage made during his life, 1850
Dublin Core
Title
Head cast of Phineas Gage made during his life, 1850
Alternative Title
Cast made of the head of Phineas Gage during his examination at Harvard Medical School in 1850
Subject
Gage, Phineas
casting (process)
Frontal Lobe
Brain Injuries
Bigelow, Henry Jacob, 1818-1890
Description
Plaster head cast of a man with significant head trauma. Cast is attached to plaster pedestal base and the entire work is painted white.
Abstract
The plaster head cast made of Phineas Gage by Henry Jacob Bigelow at Harvard Medical School in 1850 to substantiate the specifics of Gage's neurotrauma.
Creator
Bigelow, Henry Jacob, 1818-1890
Source
Bigelow, Henry Jacob, 1818-1890
Date Created
January 1850
Rights
The Harvard Medical Library does not hold copyright on all the materials in the collection. For use information, contact the Warren Anatomical Museum Curator at chm@hms.harvard.edu
Access Rights
Accessing collections in the Warren Anatomical Museum and the Warren Anatomical Museum archive requires advanced notice. Please submit a request to Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu to access the displayed item
Is Part Of
Warren Anatomical Museum
Is Referenced By
Format
object
Extent
1 head cast
Medium
casts (sculpture)
Type
physical object
Identifier
WAM 00950
Provenance
Phineas Gage sustained his traumatic brain injury on September 13, 1848 in Cavendish, Vermont. In January 1850 Professor of Surgery Henry Jacob Bigelow brought Gage to Boston and Harvard Medical School for examination and took this cast of the his head. Bigelow published his examination of Gage and the casting of his head in the July 1850 American Journal of the Medical Sciences. According to Bigelow, the head cast was on display adjacent to Gage's tamping iron in the Warren Anatomical Museum in July 1850. The cast was officially donated by Bigelow to the Museum in 1856.
Files
Collection
Citation
Bigelow, Henry Jacob, 1818-1890, “Head cast of Phineas Gage made during his life, 1850,” OnView, accessed April 25, 2024, https://collections.countway.harvard.edu/onview/items/show/18191.