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20th out of 54 books
—
241 voters
The Only Living Man With A Hole In His Head
One man. One Tamping Iron. One medical marvel.
Based on a true story, “The Only Living Man With A Hole in His Head” tells the tale of railroad foreman Phineas Gage, whom in 1848, had a three-foot long, inch-and-a-half in diameter, thirteen pound iron rod blast though his skull, taking out part of his brain, and the doctor who treated him and valiantly fought the medical est...more
Based on a true story, “The Only Living Man With A Hole in His Head” tells the tale of railroad foreman Phineas Gage, whom in 1848, had a three-foot long, inch-and-a-half in diameter, thirteen pound iron rod blast though his skull, taking out part of his brain, and the doctor who treated him and valiantly fought the medical est...more
Paperback, 220 pages
Published
February 28th 2012
by S.B. Addison Books
(first published February 28th 2011)
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Jul 14, 2012
Heidi
added it
Based on a true story, The Only Living Man presents the account of Phineas Gage and his traumatic brain injury. The book also spends a good deal of time recounting the struggles that Dr. John Harlow, the doctor who treated Gage after his accident, faced in bringing to the world the things he had learned about the human brain from treating Gage. I found both accounts fascinating. I found myself empathizing with Gage and the dramatic changes he was forced to live with after the accident, including...more
My affinity for this book may be completely related to a previous exposure to the underlying story. There is nary a psychology or therapy (OT, PT, SLP) student that has not been introduced to the name, Phineas Gage. "The only living man with a hole in his head" is not only a title, but a perfect summation of the incredible, true story of the marrying of a man's railroad tamping rod and his cranium. The importance of this man's injury and his doctor's efforts to legitimize his story cannot be ove...more
Interesting book, but I was hoping for more of Phineas' story. It just seemed like if there wasn't enough information about a certain time, it jumped back to the doctor's story. And some of Phineas' jobs just seemed glossed over so we could move on to the next chapter of the doctor wanting to be a politician. I would have enjoyed it more if the friendship between the two had been expanded upon or there was more detail about Phineas' history.
Also might have enjoyed it more if the ebook read like...more
Also might have enjoyed it more if the ebook read like...more
I was really looking forward to reading this but was so disappointed with the writing. . . actually not just disappointed but appalled. I couldn't finish the first 20 pages it was so poorly written. Too bad. It is a great topic and Pliss certainly has talent but the run on sentences are out of control. The "period" language was awkward and stiff. A good editor would have saved this book.
Disappointing, and I had been waiting to read this. I thought it was a biography, but it's fiction. (My mistake, of course.) Not sure how much I can really say I learned since it is a novel.
Beyond that I really disliked the writing style, particularly the bad dialogue and run-on sentences. It needed some solid editing, which would have eliminated mistakes like:
"...worried about her mother's mental state of mind..." and
"On a frigid Monday morning, Phineas, devoid of any warmth generating outer...more
Beyond that I really disliked the writing style, particularly the bad dialogue and run-on sentences. It needed some solid editing, which would have eliminated mistakes like:
"...worried about her mother's mental state of mind..." and
"On a frigid Monday morning, Phineas, devoid of any warmth generating outer...more
I loved this book. Honestly, it was beautifully written. The language was relevant to the times. Phineas Gage is one of the most well known medical cases in the world. And as I read about his life, my heart broke for him. I teared up on several occasions...This is definitely, without a doubt a must read.
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Dec 12, 2011
Lynn Bensinger
added it
Saw his skull in Harvard museum...and the ROD that went through it. he was always mentioned in psych classes...this kind of thing fascinates me. Now I want to know more about the personal side of it...
A real yawn of a book. Thought I'd get more science, but it was really historical fiction, with terrible dialogue and really flat prose.
May 02, 2013
Kathleen
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