His name was Phineas Gage. It's a cool name, but no one remembers it; only his brain is famous. In 1848, a railroad spike was driven all the way through Gage's 25-year-old head, landing some 25 feet away. He didn't die; he didn't even lose consciousness. He lived to the age of 37, but he was never the same. Thus sparked a whole new field of science and mind matters, where the brain became compartmentalized, individual quadrants responsible for individual moods and behaviors.

I wonder, if a similar accident were to happen in the sprout's time, if such a big scientific deal would be made. Wouldn't we cover up his personality disorder by the fact that his face and head were horribly disfigured? Wouldn't his "grossly profane" language be blamed on post-traumatic stress? When a TV show like "Extreme Makeover" becomes a runaway success, and people spend their life savings to have fat sucked from their thighs and stuck in their lips, all in the name of "life change" and "personal happiness," one has to wonder...

Just be careful where you bump your head.