Lobotomy

Lobotomy is a neurosurgical procedure, a form of psychosurgery, It consists of cutting the connections to and from the prefrontal cortex. The three common versions of Lobotomy psychosurgery were prefrontal leucotomy, prefrontal Lobotomy, and transorbital Lobotomy. A leucotomy basically involved drilling holes in the skull in order to access the brain. Once visible, the surgeon would sever the nerves using a pencil-sized tool called a leucotome. In some cases an instrument which was essentially an ice-pick and sometimes an actual kitchen ice-pick was used with a carpenter's hammer was simply passed through the eye socket and struck with a hammer when in the right position. There are nerves that connect the frontal lobes to the rest of the brain. The idea behind psychosurgery, later proven to be invalid, was that these nerves were somehow malformed or damaged, and if they were severed they might regenerate into new, healthy connections.

These procedures result in major personality changes beyond what is desired, and can cause severe mental disabilities. Lobotomy psychosurgery is a psychiatric practice which creates permanent and irreversible brain damage. It is a brain operation in which healthy brain tissue is intentionally mutilated or removed for the purpose of behavior control. Lobotomy were used mainly from the 1930s to 1950s to treat a wide range of severe mental illnesses, including schizophrenia, clinical depression, and various anxiety disorders, as well as people who were considered a nuisance by demonstrating behavior characterized as, for example, "moodiness" or "youthful defiance". The procedure has since been characterized "as one of the most barbaric mistakes ever perpetrated by mainstream medicine". An area essential to the human being - his personality - is forever destroyed.

Technically, Lobotomy refers to the surgical cutting of nerve connections between the frontal lobes and the rest of the brain. The frontal lobes are unique to human beings and are the seat of the higher functions such as love, conern for others, empathy, self-insight, creativity, initiative, autonomy, rationality, abstract reasoning, judgment, future planning, foresight, will-power, determination and concentration. Without the frontal lobes it is impossible to be "human" in the fullest sense of the word; they are required for a civilized, effective, mature life. Depending on the amount of damage done, the effect can be partial or relatively complete. In a complete Lobotomy, the patient becomes obviously demented with the deterioration of all higher mental functions.

The infamous transorbital Lobotomy was a “blind” operation in that the surgeon did not know for certain if he had severed the nerves or not. A sharp, ice-pick like object would be inserted through the eye socket between the upper lid and eye. When the doctor thought he was at about the right spot, he would hit the end of the instrument with a hammer.

Despite the fact that there was extensive evidence that psychosurgery was not therapeutic, operations continued unabated for decades. This was because it was considered unprofessional to criticize another physician in public, so many doctors who knew that Lobotomy psychosurgery was a farce did not make their opinions known. This allowed the Lobotomy psychosurgeons to continue unchecked from the late 1930s through the 1970s.

No one in the medical establishment has ever apologized to the victims of this travesty.

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