Dark History of Lobotomy

Lobotomy or leukotomy, is an eery surgical procedure that was emerged in order to numb neurotic behaviors of patients with schizophrenia, manic depression and even Bipolar disorder. In the past years, this treatment was a mainstream procedure in some countries, but since the beginning of its use it was always regarded as controversial and inappropriate. That is why from 1950’s and onwards it was first banned by Soviet Union, stating that it was “contrary to the principles of humanity”. Other countries such as Japan and Germany followed this prohibition henceforth. 

It was first pioneered in 1936 by a Portuguese neurologist and politician Egas Moniz,he was inspired by researches made in U.S. by Yale searches John Fulton and Carlyle Jacobsen, who stated notable differences behavior wise after experimenting with removing parts of their frontal lobes, it was as if they joined a “happiness cult” and they no longer experienced any frustraion or anxiety. The surgery seemed to cost some cognitive functions and to Moniz it was just a worthy  little sacrifice. He believed pyschological illnessess were caused by “fixed circuits” in the brain, especially in frontal lobe. So the idea that seperating these connections from the rest of the brain set up the bases of Lobotomy. The first procedure was performed in 1935, Moniz and his colleague Almeida Lima injected alcohol into the brain to destroy white matter in frontal lobes. 

Antonio Egas Moniz was the first professor to forge this surgery as a cure for mental illnesses. His procedure included a surgeon using a drill to get into the skull and cutting the white matter that connected the prefrontal cortex to the rest of the brain. Initially right from the beginning his peers and many psychiatrists were very skeptical about it. That did not stop Moniz from lobotomizing 38 individuals, and he reported how they become more amicable, free from their hallucinations and anxieties. Moniz and some of his peers saw this state of calmness as a declaration of success and he was awarded a 1949 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. 

His procedure became especially popular in the U.S. due to Walter Freeman and James Watts. So, the craze of Lobotomy had started, many people, nearly half the population were instituionalized from mental health reasons at the time and Lobotomy seemed like an easy access to treatment. However, since the beginning there were problems, some people who had undergone the procedure did not even have any mental illnesses. The decisions were simply tied to fragile social mores. Most problematic aspect was that the results were very unpredictable and variable from patient to patient. Lobotomy just turned many recipients into emotionless, unable to walk or eat human mushes. While on one hand it helped prevent hallucinations and overly anxious feelings of some patients, the significant undeniable side effects erased any favorable outcomes. Apathy, abrupt personality changes , paralysis, emotional blunting and suicide were just a couple. 

Until 1945, Lobotomy was considered a rigid procedure because it required a team of surgeons and specialized equipments. Things changed when Freeman developed a much easier, quick and an amateur friendly way. Patients were first electrocuted to unconsciousness and an ice-pick like stick was pushed through the socket of their eye and used to severe the fibers between the thalamus and frontal lobes. This procedure could be performed by physicians without any surgery practices in couple minutes only. Freeman performed this surgery 228 times exact in just 12 days to prove its efficiency. This “Transorbital” Lobotomy was immediately more controversial than the former version. 

Thanks to several tranquilizers appearing in 1950’s Lobotomy started to become less common. Dire consequences of Lobotomy was negatively reflected on press and medications such as antidepressants along with antipsychotics were favored by professionals. It was banned by Soviet Union in 1950’s and several other countries followed. Last recorded Lobotomy belonged to Freeman in 1967 and ended in the death of the recipient.. Today, very modified versions of Lobotomy are alive and only performed when it is appropriate.