Gregor Baci was a Hungarian nobleman who, fighting the Turks, was speared in the head. The weapon went through his eye and out the other side of his skull. After the battle, survivors were shocked and surprised to see Baci still standing.
He had his likeness painted, as people were amazed by his survival. Eventually, the spear was sawed off on both ends to allow Baci more comfort — doctors dared not remove the object, for fear of him bleeding out immediately or brain matter flowing out. Although in a state of near-constant and great pain, the nobleman ended up living another year before one morning being found dead in his bed.
Some people have doubted Baci’s story and claimed it could not have happened. The curious case of Phineas Gage in 1848 proved them wrong — this American mining foreman had a metal road driven through his skull. Gage lost an eye, but survived the catastrophic injury. Unlike in Baci’s unfortunate case, the rod went right through him rather than remaining in place; as a result he lived for another twelve years.
I’ll never cease to be amazed by how durable the human body can be. Some people survive things they shouldn’t logically survive. And others die of the most minor, seemingly insignicant injury. Life truly is a roll of the dice.