4 ms·

I'm surprised they didn't include lobotomies in this list. That was a huge blunder. Otherwise, the Nobel committee has a pretty good track record. This is of c

by wyxuan 7y ago

I'm surprised they didn't include lobotomies in this list. That was a huge blunder. Otherwise, the Nobel committee has a pretty good track record. This is of course because they wait for the dust to settle on these discoveries and for the scientific community to validate and build on those conclusions. This is why there is such a large lag time between the discovery and the granting of the prize.

frozenport 7y ago
Many doctors, patients and family members of the period believed that despite potentially catastrophic consequences, the results of lobotomy were seemingly positive in many instances or, at least they were deemed as such when measured next to the apparent alternative of long-term institutionalisation.[1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobotomy#Prevalence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobotomy#Prevalence Lobotomies do something, unlike the other cases in the article.
- masklinn 7y ago
  It's hard to disagree with these early criticisms though: > it makes the custodial care of many patients easier. Let me remark in passing that killing them makes their custodial care still easier and > through lobotomy an insane person is changed into an idiot
Ice_cream_suit 7y ago
Functional stereotactic neurosurgery for psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders is actively practiced. The popular media is not a good place to get your information from... "Functional neurosurgeons at UVa are currently treating: Neuropsychiatric conditions, including obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression" https://med.virginia.edu/neurosurgery/services/functional-neurosurgery/ https://med.virginia.edu/neurosurgery/services/functional-ne... "We read with great interest the publication of Liu et al. [1 ]reporting results from the largest published series of schizophrenia patients treated with MRI-guided bilateral anterior capsulotomy with 2 years of follow-up. Let us specify that a series of 87 schizophrenic patients operated, notably, by capsulotomy - but associated with a cingulotomy, amygdalectomy or thermocoagulation of the nucleus accumbens" https://www.karger.com/Article/Fulltext/366005 https://www.karger.com/Article/Fulltext/366005 http://med.stanford.edu/neurosurgery/divisions/functional.html http://med.stanford.edu/neurosurgery/divisions/functional.ht...
- masklinn 7y ago
  > Functional stereotactic neurosurgery for psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders is actively practiced. Lobotomy is the removal of most or all of the prefrontal cortex. That its descendant is now called "functional neurosurgery" does tell you how disparaged and discredited lobotomy is. It's not unlike nuclear medicine though, there was an early hype phase where it was applied too often[0], too much and without enough precision. The underpinnings remain in active use but at a very different level of activity, and with much more precise targeting. [0] the US performed 20000 lobotomies during the 40s, mostly on women.

by wyxuan 7y ago

frozenport 7y ago

Many doctors, patients and family members of the period believed that despite potentially catastrophic consequences, the results of lobotomy were seemingly positive in many instances or, at least they were deemed as such when measured next to the apparent alternative of long-term institutionalisation.[1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobotomy#Prevalence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobotomy#Prevalence Lobotomies do something, unlike the other cases in the article.

masklinn 7y ago
It's hard to disagree with these early criticisms though: > it makes the custodial care of many patients easier. Let me remark in passing that killing them makes their custodial care still easier and > through lobotomy an insane person is changed into an idiot

Ice_cream_suit 7y ago

Functional stereotactic neurosurgery for psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders is actively practiced. The popular media is not a good place to get your information from... "Functional neurosurgeons at UVa are currently treating: Neuropsychiatric conditions, including obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression" https://med.virginia.edu/neurosurgery/services/functional-neurosurgery/ https://med.virginia.edu/neurosurgery/services/functional-ne... "We read with great interest the publication of Liu et al. [1 ]reporting results from the largest published series of schizophrenia patients treated with MRI-guided bilateral anterior capsulotomy with 2 years of follow-up. Let us specify that a series of 87 schizophrenic patients operated, notably, by capsulotomy - but associated with a cingulotomy, amygdalectomy or thermocoagulation of the nucleus accumbens" https://www.karger.com/Article/Fulltext/366005 https://www.karger.com/Article/Fulltext/366005 http://med.stanford.edu/neurosurgery/divisions/functional.html http://med.stanford.edu/neurosurgery/divisions/functional.ht...

masklinn 7y ago
> Functional stereotactic neurosurgery for psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders is actively practiced. Lobotomy is the removal of most or all of the prefrontal cortex. That its descendant is now called "functional neurosurgery" does tell you how disparaged and discredited lobotomy is. It's not unlike nuclear medicine though, there was an early hype phase where it was applied too often[0], too much and without enough precision. The underpinnings remain in active use but at a very different level of activity, and with much more precise targeting. [0] the US performed 20000 lobotomies during the 40s, mostly on women.