29 The Amazing Recovery

Some organisms, such as salamanders and lobsters, can regenerate limbs they have lost. This means they can regrow a foot, a tail, or any other part of the body that has been cut or broken off. Although human cells are incapable of this, the human body is still wonderfully resilient in other ways. The amazing recovery of Phineas Gage is a case in point.

Phineas P. Gage, who was employed by the Rutland and Burlington Railroad, recovered from an injury that defied medical history. While he was doing repairs on the railroad, a stock of high-powered dynamite accidentally exploded. The terrific blast drove a three-foot-long, 13-pound iron bar into his head, destroying most of his brain.

Gage was thrown by the explosion, but regained consciousness soon afterward. He even watched the doctors as they tended his wound. For several weeks Gage was disoriented and could not see through his left eye. But after a few months he was able to think clearly and return to work.

Until this day, doctors have found no plausible explanation for this man's recovery. They never expected Gage to survive, but he lived for several years after the accident. After Gage died, his skull was placed in the museum of the Massachusetts Medical College, where it remains as a monument to the human will to live.

29 惊人的康复

一些生物，比如蝾螈和龙虾，能够再生失去的肢体。这意味着它们可以重新长出脚、尾巴，或是身体任何被切断或折断的部位。尽管人类细胞做不到这一点，但人体在其他方面仍具有惊人的复原力。菲尼亚斯·盖奇的惊人康复就是一个典型例子。

菲尼亚斯·P·盖奇受雇于拉特兰和伯灵顿铁路公司，他从一场颠覆医学史的 injuries 中康复了。他在铁路上维修时，一批高能炸药意外爆炸。巨大的爆炸将一根三英尺长、13磅重的铁棒炸入他的头部，摧毁了他大脑的大部分区域。

盖奇被爆炸抛飞，但很快恢复了意识。他甚至看着医生为他处理伤口。几周内，盖奇方向感混乱，左眼失明。但几个月后，他就能清晰思考并重返工作岗位。

直到今天，医生仍未找到能解释他康复的合理原因。他们从未指望盖奇能活下来，但他在事故后又活了好几年。盖奇去世后，他的头骨被陈列在马萨诸塞医学院的博物馆里，作为人类求生意志的纪念碑留存至今。