The Neurophilosophy blog has a concise and interesting history of the lobotomy. First performed on people in the 1890s, it involves destroying parts of the brain or, at least, slicing some of the connections in the prefontal cortex. After United States neurologist Walter Freeman imported the technique from Europe and "refined" it with surgeon James Watts, the procedure became frighteningly common. During the middle of last century, there were 40,000 lobotomies performed in the US alone.
From the article:
The Freeman-Watts Standard Procedure was used for the first time in September 1936. Also known as "the precision method", this involved inserting a blunt spatula through holes in both sides of the skull; the instrument was moved up and down to sever the thalamo-cortical fibers. However, Freeman was unhappy with the new procedure. He considered it to be both time-consuming and messy, and so developed a quicker method, the so-called "ice-pick"lobotomy (photo above -ed.), which he performed for the first time on January 17th, 1945.
With the patient rendered unconscious by electroshock, an instrument was inserted above the eyeball through the orbit using a hammer. Once inside the brain, the instrument was moved back and forth; this was then repeated on the other side. (The ice-pick lobotomy, named as such because the instrument used resembled the tool with which ice is broken, is therefore also known as the transorbital lobotomy…)
Freeman's new technique could be performed in about 10 minutes.
Link (via Mind Hacks)
Previously on BB:
• "My Lobotomy" on NPR Link
