The chapter starts with the story of Gage’s adventures after 1850. A common version of the story claims that Gage traveled around New England and New York showing off his tamping rod and exhibiting himself in museums and sideshows. Fleischman writes that Barnum’s American Museum combined authentic oddities with fakes and exaggerations; this reshaped uncommon human experiences into a spectacle.

Later writers relayed that Gage performed at Barnum’s American Museum, but according to Fleischman, very few of these accounts were verified. The best information we have about Gage’s time in New York City and Barnum’s American Museum comes from his mother, who told Dr. Harlow that her son spent time traveling throughout New York and was at Barnum’s with his tamping rod. Little is known about the rest of his time.

The second half of the chapter chronicles the more documented parts of Gage’s later years. After returning to New Hampshire in early 1851, he worked in a livery stable in Hanover. Fleischman notes that Gage seemed to have difficulty relating to people but had no trouble working with horses. According to his mother, Gage appeared healthy and particularly liked children and animals. By 1852, Gage traveled to Chile, where he worked for several years driving stagecoaches along the route between Valparaiso and Santiago. Fleischman explains how difficult this type of employment would have been. As a stagecoach driver, you would need to operate a large, heavy vehicle while managing multiple horses simultaneously and making rapid decisions along unpredictable roads. This suggests that Gage remained physically capable of handling complex tasks and schedules. One certainty about Gage’s life in Chile is that he always carried his tamping rod with him.

Gage arrived in San Francisco, California, in 1859. His mother was residing in San Francisco with other relatives. When Gage disembarked from the ship, he was ill and weak. However, he informed his mother that he merely experienced seasickness. Several months passed before Gage recovered enough to seek new work opportunities. He took up various farm jobs located in close proximity to Santa Clara; however, he never stayed in any single location for long periods of time.

During a visit to see his family, Gage suffered a sudden seizure while eating supper. Fleischman describes seizures, noting that a seizure is essentially an electrical storm occurring within the brain. He says that seizures could originate from numerous sources, such as injury to the brain. Today, many physicians treat seizures using anti-convulsive medications. At the time of Gage’s seizure, in 1860, physicians possessed no effective treatments for seizures. Over the weeks and months, Gage continued to experience seizures at increasing frequency and intensity. A physician bled him, an outmoded medical practice based on ancient theories of bodily humors; the bleeding failed to improve Gage’s condition. On May 21,1860, at the age of 36, Gage died due to seizures. These stemmed from injury to the brain tissue; however, it will never be possible to determine exactly what caused them.

Fleischman describes the development of research in neuroscience. In 1862, Paul Broca identified a small section in the left frontal lobe responsible for producing speech. Shortly thereafter, Carl Wernicke discovered another region involved in understanding spoken words. Both discoveries provided significant support for localizing different neural processes within discrete regions of the brain. This support weakened previously held theories of phrenology as well as whole-brain perspectives on cognitive function, ultimately leading to the emergence of a new and experimental field focused on studying the brain.

Around this same period of time, Dr. Harlow contacted Gage’s mother and learned what became of his former patient. Dr. Harlow asked if it would be acceptable for him to exhume Gage’s skull and conduct further studies on it. Following approval from Gage’s family, his skull and tamping rod were removed from his casket and shipped back east. In 1868, Dr. Harlow presented all aspects of Gage’s case, again explaining that despite being physically able to walk, talk, and continue working post-injury, Gage had undergone such extreme changes in his personality and ability to judge others socially that people believed he was no longer himself.

Fleischman connects Gage’s case to broader scientific inquiry. This line of inquiry focuses on whether damage to a distinct part of the brain affects an individual’s social behavior, precluding them from interacting appropriately with other individuals in society.