Origins Of The Lobotomy
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Lobotomy
The Lobotomy is a form of Neurosurgery which focuses on altering the prefrontal lobe: its procedure involved cutting singing or scraping away cords associated with the brain that engage emotional response and it was viewed as a means of also cutting out mental illness. (Jansson, 1998) It aimed at treating Schizophrenia, depression and bipolar disorder. Origins of the Lobotomy are derived from the 19th century exploration into modifications of the brain. It was particularly prevalent through the 1940’s to the 1950’s and it was transformed into an everyday procedure. Originally, Lobotomies involved cutting open the skull, followed by an injection of ethanol into the brain, resulting in the disintegration of joint fibres from …show more content…
Human nature was indefinitely a major factor in the distribution of Lobotomies. Freeman marketed the Lobotomy with promises of a cure, and heightened it as a legitimate operation in the medical world. Opposition of its methods is evident through history, It was claimed that a small percentage of people saw improvements after the procedure or simply stayed the same, however for most individuals it effected their lives in a drastically negative way (Lerner, 2011) “the long term side effect was mental dullness, people could no longer live independently, they lost their personalities”.(Lerner, 2011) An individual’s initiative, intuition, inhibitions, empathy and ability to function on their own was lost. Inaccuracies of the Lobotomy were recognised during 1950’s, there was a lapse in the advantages of the procedure. There simply were no significant improvements or beneficial changes from it, Lerner (2011) states that all what remained after the Lobotomy was simply the shell of a human. Lerner (2011) states that Freedman described his procedure as “surgically induced childhood” which he claimed could be cured with rehabilitation, this was then viewed as a recovery. More damage than good was done and the world slowly began to realise the repercussions of such meddling with the brain. Moral opposition rose shortly after this and the welfare of patients was placed first, the Lobotomy soon reached its end. Antipsychotics and anti-depressants were introduced in the 60’s as a preferable alternative, they were immeasurably safer, deemed humane and still effective in addressing symptoms of psychosis experienced by patients. Doctors were able to understand the functions of the brains in a way that would never been imagined previously, due to substantial
Lobotomy
The Lobotomy is a form of Neurosurgery which focuses on altering the prefrontal lobe: its procedure involved cutting singing or scraping away cords associated with the brain that engage emotional response and it was viewed as a means of also cutting out mental illness. (Jansson, 1998) It aimed at treating Schizophrenia, depression and bipolar disorder. Origins of the Lobotomy are derived from the 19th century exploration into modifications of the brain. It was particularly prevalent through the 1940’s to the 1950’s and it was transformed into an everyday procedure. Originally, Lobotomies involved cutting open the skull, followed by an injection of ethanol into the brain, resulting in the disintegration of joint fibres from …show more content…
Human nature was indefinitely a major factor in the distribution of Lobotomies. Freeman marketed the Lobotomy with promises of a cure, and heightened it as a legitimate operation in the medical world. Opposition of its methods is evident through history, It was claimed that a small percentage of people saw improvements after the procedure or simply stayed the same, however for most individuals it effected their lives in a drastically negative way (Lerner, 2011) “the long term side effect was mental dullness, people could no longer live independently, they lost their personalities”.(Lerner, 2011) An individual’s initiative, intuition, inhibitions, empathy and ability to function on their own was lost. Inaccuracies of the Lobotomy were recognised during 1950’s, there was a lapse in the advantages of the procedure. There simply were no significant improvements or beneficial changes from it, Lerner (2011) states that all what remained after the Lobotomy was simply the shell of a human. Lerner (2011) states that Freedman described his procedure as “surgically induced childhood” which he claimed could be cured with rehabilitation, this was then viewed as a recovery. More damage than good was done and the world slowly began to realise the repercussions of such meddling with the brain. Moral opposition rose shortly after this and the welfare of patients was placed first, the Lobotomy soon reached its end. Antipsychotics and anti-depressants were introduced in the 60’s as a preferable alternative, they were immeasurably safer, deemed humane and still effective in addressing symptoms of psychosis experienced by patients. Doctors were able to understand the functions of the brains in a way that would never been imagined previously, due to substantial