I was very excited to get this off of the printer yesterday. It is a remarkably accurate replica of the skull of Phineas Gage (printed at 60% actual size.) I cannot remember an introductory neuroscience or neurophysiology course that didn’t mention this case.
Phineas Gage became the center of a landmark neuroscience case when an explosion forced a red-hot tamping iron through this railroad foreman’s brain and skull. He survived, but reportedly suffered a personality change. This was the first evidence suggesting that the frontal lobe of the brain was linked to one’s personality.
The model was made available through The NIH 3D Print Exchange, which is an online resources for free 3D-printable models that are scientifically accurate or medically applicable. The NIH 3D Print Exchange provides models in formats that are readily compatible with 3D printers, and offers a unique set of tools to create and share 3D-printable models related to biomedical science.
Model LINK: https://3dprint.nih.gov/discover/3DPX-003118
This work is a derivative of the CT scan made of the Phineas Gage Skull as discussed in The Tale of Phineas Gage, digitally remastered (Ratiu, P et. al., 2004), and is being shared with the kind permission of the Warren Anatomical Museum at Harvard Medical School’s Countway Library.
You can find many incredibly useful subjects for drawing/painting study on the NIH 3D print exchange here:
https://3dprint.nih.gov/