Lobotomy or Leukotomy is a psychosurgical intervention technique performed on the brain, which consists of the total or partial removal of the cerebral lobes.
The lobotomy technique was developed by the Portuguese neurologist Dr. António Egas Moniz and the surgeon Dr. Almeida Lima, in 1935. At the time, the creation of lobotomy earned Dr. Egas Moniz the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine (1949).
In the past, lobotomy was performed on patients who had severe psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and depressions deep, for example.
The lobotomy was performed with the aid of a tool called leucotome, which fits into holes previously made in the patient's skull, helping to break up and remove nerve fibers from the brain.
The technique created by Egas Moniz was called prefrontal lobotomy. But, with the objective of making the surgical procedure cheaper and faster, the American neurologist Dr. Walter Freeman developed another method, known as transorbital lobotomy or “ice pick lobotomy”.
With this system, Dr. Freeman was able to perform a lobotomy in just 10 minutes, applying the orbitoclast (tool used for transorbital) just above the patient's eye cavity, with much easier access to the brain area to be reached compared to the prefrontal method.
With the passage of time and the advancement of psychiatric studies, the title of “miracle cure” for lobotomy was replaced by the status of “mental mutilation”.
This negative association was intensified due to the sequelae that lobotomy caused in most patients who underwent this technique.
Egas Moniz advised that lobotomy be performed only in extreme cases, when the patient showed suicidal behavior or a lot of violence, for example.
But, the technique developed by the Portuguese became popular around the world in an irresponsible way, mainly in Japan and the United States. In these countries, some neurosurgeons used lobotomy to silence psychiatric patients who were considered a "social nuisance", and even in children classified as "bad behaved".
With the discovery of the first antipsychotic drugs, lobotomy came into disuse. In the mid-1950s, this technique was banned in most countries around the world.
effects of lobotomy
Lobotomy can cause severe changes in the individual's personality, in addition to irreversible injuries in some basic functions of the person, such as speech and the ability to express their feelings, for example. Basically, the person undergoing lobotomy starts to live in a vegetative state.
In some cases, lobotomy was used as a method of brainwash. For example, a healthy individual was subjected to this technique, with the aim of purposely “damaging” his brain and ensuring greater behavioral control of this person.
Among other negative consequences caused by lobotomy are the high risk of infection and intracranial hemorrhage, which led to death in most patients.
See also: the meaning of psychology.