A more recent method to treat mental illness is transorbital lobotomy. According to Shutts (1982), about
40,000 people underwent lobotomies in the 1940s and 1950s. It seems like a long time ago (in some ways,
it is), and it reflects a lack of understanding of basic brain functioning. You probably know more about the
brain than many of the people who performed lobotomies; they did so by inserting a thin rod between the
person’s eyeball and the eye socket bone until it reached the prefrontal area of the brain. This procedure
was often not conducted in hospitals but rather in people’s homes. Walter Freeman became famous for
carrying his equipment in his car, referred to as the “lobotomobile.” Used first on intractable
schizophrenics, the operation soon spread and was used on a variety of patients. Lobotomies did seem to
calm some schizophrenics, but the results were often disappointing. People who had a lobotomy often
displayed apathy, an inability to plan and take initiative, memory disorders, distractability, generally
blunted emotions, a loss of facial expression, and a loss of social inhibitions. Take a look at this:
It is important that any intervention be grounded in empirical scientific research. Suppose an experienced
neurosurgeon proposed “I have a lot of experience with brain surgery. I think that lobotomies could help
people with severe mental disorders that resist treatment. I can do it”. What are some research ethics
issues that should be considered? Put yourself in the shoes of the desperate person, wanting relief. What
should you know to make an informed decision? Do the benefits outweigh the risks?
Sample Solution
