Phineas Gage & Brain Science

Question 1

The brainstem's function is to...

Accepted Answer

control breathing and heartbeat

Question 2

Phineas worked for...

Accepted Answer

A railroad builder

Question 3

Which phrase best describes how Phineas acts immediately after the accident?

Accepted Answer

Calm and in charge

Question 4

Besides the actual head wound, what else should have killed Phineas after his accident?

Accepted Answer

Shock, Losing a lot of blood

Question 5

Gangrene is...

Accepted Answer

the end result of bacterial infection.

Question 6

Robert Hooke didn't learn much about cells when looking at cork cells because they were...

Accepted Answer

empty because they were dead and dried out.

Question 7

What is a disadvantage of an open brain injury?

Accepted Answer

His brain is exposed to infection.

Question 8

Which lobe of the cortex helps us understand what we are hearing and aids in speech?

Accepted Answer

Temporal

Question 9

Phineas’s old employers hired him back, but then “let him go” (fired him). Why?

Accepted Answer

He was not the reliable worker he used to be.

Question 10

Doctors in 1848 didn’t know the word “infection.” What term did they use to describe infection?

Accepted Answer

Sepsis

Question 11

A concussion, or “closed brain” injury, can be dangerous because the brain can...

Accepted Answer

cut off its own blood and oxygen supply because of swelling.

Question 12

What does “biotic” refer to?

Accepted Answer

Living things

Question 13

Dr. Bigelow from Harvard urged Dr. Harlow to back up his case by...

Accepted Answer

getting statements from eyewitnesses to the accident.

Question 14

To convince the doctor that the tamping iron did go through his head, Phineas showed him the...

Accepted Answer

Entry wound on his cheek

Question 15

"Animalicules" were found by looking at a raindrop under a microscope. What are animalicules?

Accepted Answer

Single-celled microorganisms

Question 16

What was the tamping iron used for?

Accepted Answer

It packed down loose powder

Question 17

Which lobe is responsible for maintaining vision?

Accepted Answer

Occipital

Question 18

The parietal lobe is located in which part of the brain?

Accepted Answer

Cortex

Question 19

Why did Dr. Harlow leave the hole in the roof of Phineas’s mouth open?

Accepted Answer

The wound could drain through the hole.

Question 20

Which part of the cortex did Phineas injure in his accident?

Accepted Answer

Frontal lobe

Question 21

Right after the tamping iron shot through Phineas’s head, what did he do?

Accepted Answer

He sat up and spoke.

Question 22

What is an advantage to having an open brain injury?

Accepted Answer

His brain has room to swell and isn’t crushed into his skull

Question 23

Which step of the process went wrong and caused Phineas’s accident?

Accepted Answer

Plug the hole with loose sand.

Question 24

What can cross the “blood-brain barrier”?

Accepted Answer

Nutrients and oxygen

Question 25

How we react to stimuli and respond to pain is processed through which lobe?

Accepted Answer

Parietal

Question 26

What does the theory of bodily “humors” refer to?

Accepted Answer

Balancing four liquids, or humors, in the body for health

Question 27

What does the author mean when he writes “Black powder is ticklish stuff?”

Accepted Answer

It can be set off accidentally

Question 28

I need to make a big decision, which lobe will be functioning to help me?

Accepted Answer

Frontal

Question 29

How many pounds does the average brain weigh?

Accepted Answer

3 lbs

Question 30

Which part of the brain controls your body movements?

Accepted Answer

Cerebellum

Phineas Gage & Brain Science

Questions 30

Phineas Gage & Brain Science

Questions 30