They should have died, Phineas Gage and Sargent Dan Powers both suffered a traumatic injury to their brain. Phineas Gage, a railroad worker, was severely injured with a rod and died years after the incident. Similarly, Sargent Dan Powers, a former soldier, was wounded with a nine-inch blade. They were affected later in life but still wanted to resume a normal life. While both faced a huge injury to their brain, Phineas Gage and Sargent Dan Powers both went through the same injury but were treated differently and had different outcomes. Phineas Gage, after a rod went through his skull, was rushed to get medical treatment. Phineas was rushed to the home of a doctor who could help him, but did not believe his story. In the text, Phineas Gage, states, “Dr. Harlow follows the best medical advice of his time – keep the wound clean but covered and watch for inflammation.” At the time Phineas got treated, doctors knew less and were less professional as shown in the quote by only doing what the doctors knew what the best treatment was. Although doctors could not do much with the knowledge they had, most believed that it was luck that kept him alive, as they soon believed with Sargent Dan Powers. …show more content…
On the other head though, whenever Sargent Dan Powers was rushed for medical help, he was rushed to a hospital, where he was able to get treated for the nine-inch blade that was in his head. In the text, Soldier Survives Knife in Skull, it states, “The neurosurgical team coiled the carotid artery and performed cranioplasty on Powers skull.” Powers was able to get more professional treatment than Phineas because technology was far more advanced than during Phineas’s time. This way, he was able to get healed by surgery, but just like with Phineas, most believe that he is still alive today because of his