Need a Lobotomy?

During the 1940s and 1950s, medicine’s legal and ethical restraints were minimal. This meant doctors and practitioners had the space to conduct odd and outlandish procedures that would be considered ‘criminal’ today.

At the time, there was a procedure called the ‘Prefrontal Lobotomy’. The surgery aimed to damage the prefrontal cortex or completely cut it off from the rest of the brain. Researchers noticed that primates who had their PFCs damaged or disconnected exhibited tamer, more relaxed behaviours. They believed it could help people who suffered from severe psychiatric disorders deemed untreatable.

The prefrontal cortex is responsible for many cognitive functions, such as decision-making, planning, working memory, impulse control and fine motor movements.

Prefrontal lobotomies were performed on about 40,000 across the United States during the 40s and 50s, many of which were performed by a doctor untrained in surgery. In fact, this doctor and self-proclaimed brain surgeon didn’t even perform these procedures in a surgical theatre. He would give people their lobotomies in his office, and on the odd occasion, in his car.

He would use tools such as an electric drill and a metal pick to hack at the brains of his patients, damaging the Prefrontal cortex in the hope of eliminating their mental distress. Initially, this procedure was intended only for those with schizophrenia; however, it ended up being performed on many others with less severe disorders — many of who would be deemed normal by today’s standards.

The consequences of this procedure included: apathy, a loss in one’s ability to plan and take initiative, a higher incidence of memory disorders and distractibility. In addition, many of those who had lobotomies could not conduct themselves properly in social settings and behaved uncivilly.

Lobotomies are one of the most outlandish, barbaric medical procedures in recorded recent past. It’s nice knowing we’ve come far since then.