A lobotomy is a discredited neurosurgical procedure that severs connections in the brain's prefrontal cortex to treat psychiatric and neurological disorders. Portuguese neurologist Antonio Egas Moniz performed the first leucotomy in Lisbon in 1935, and American neurologist Walter Freeman later developed a faster transorbital technique that could be performed outside an operating room. Usage peaked around 1949, with roughly 40,000 Americans and 17,000 British patients undergoing the procedure before it was progressively abandoned from the 1950s onward, beginning with a Soviet ban in 1950, as antipsychotic medication offered a less destructive alternative; Moniz received the 1949 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the technique, an award that remains controversial given the procedure's severe complications, including personality change, intellectual deficit and a mortality rate of roughly five percent during the 1940s.
Facts
Classification
StatusDiscontinued or Obsolete 1 Connections
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationWikipedia, Lobotomy, Early history, Development section
Leucotomy was first undertaken in 1935 under the direction of the Portuguese neurologist (and inventor of the term psychosurgery) António Egas Moniz.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobotomy, lead section
A lobotomy or leucotomy is a discredited form of neurosurgical treatment for psychiatric disorder or neurological disorder that involves severing connections in the brain's prefrontal cortex. The surgery severs most of the connections to and from the prefrontal cortex, and the an
View the Source Frequently Asked Questions
Why did a lobotomy win a Nobel Prize if it is now discredited?
The prize was awarded in 1949 at the procedure's peak, and it is disputed today because of the severe complications.
Portuguese neurologist Antonio Egas Moniz performed the first leucotomy in Lisbon in 1935, and he received the 1949 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the technique, at the height of its use, when roughly 40,000 Americans and 17,000 British patients underwent the procedure. The award remains controversial because of the procedure's severe complications, including personality change, intellectual deficit and a significant mortality rate. Use declined from the 1950s onward, beginning with a Soviet ban in 1950, as antipsychotic medication offered a less destructive alternative.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
Choose a year to see this entry's facts and connections as the atlas records them at that moment: what it held then, what it held instead, and what it had not yet adopted. Choose Present for the current record.