Technological Fix and Anatomical Body

Technological Fix and Anatomical Body

19th and 20th Century Surgical Fixes

During the 1800s, surgery had become a common medical procedure due to the discovery of anesthesia which was used in reducing pain during surgery.[footnoteRef:1] In addition, technological fixes were in place for correcting medical conditions such as the removal of tumors. During this period, medical practitioners were able to describe the locations of structures in relation to other structures in the body which ensured they knew the organ's positions and could conduct surgery of various body parts easily. [1: Porter, R. (1999). The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity from Antiquity to the Present. Fontana Press.]

Following the in-depth understanding of human anatomy and use of antiseptics as well as anesthesia, towards the end of the 19th century, surgeons started performing new types of surgery including dissection of the abdomen, brain, and spinal cord.[footnoteRef:2] In line with this, by the start of the 20th century, improved diagnostic and treatment methods ensured surgery became more effective. It was during this period that Conrad Roentgen, a German physicist unveiled X-rays in 1895 to 'photograph' the inside of the body; this invention greatly changed the way surgery was performed. Besides, Karl Landsteiner, Austrian pathologist discovered blood groups A, B, and O. which helped surgeons give patients transfusions of their own blood type to ensure survival during surgery. [2: Ellis, Harold. A History Of Surgery. Cambridge University Press, 2001.]

In addition, other technological advances such as the development of heart-lung machine in 1953 permitted surgeons to easily and successfully perform surgery on these organs; this marked the onset of modern clinical heart surgery. Furthermore, developing the operating microscope in the 1950s helped surgeons perform operations on small body structures like the inner ear and the eye, and enabled surgeons reattach tiny blood vessels from severed limbs to the body.

Freeman's Frontal Lobotomy

New surgical techniques grounded in a model of the anatomical body continue to bring positive results in surgery. In this regard, current surgical technological fixes are more advanced that the past decades. Modern technological fixes include ultrasound, used in eliminating kidney and gallbladder stones. Other interventions include laser surgery, using beams of light to destroy malignant tissue.

Freeman performed prefrontal lobotomy in accordance to his understanding of anatomical view of the patient's body. According to Freeman, since the patient was suffering from mental illness it was necessary to initiate prefrontal lobotomy. The lobotomy was conducted after administering a local anesthesia which made the patient asleep during the surgery.[footnoteRef:3] Weeks after the operation, there were reduced patient disorientation and three months later she resumed housekeeping for her sister and is doing well. [3: Freeman, Walter, and James W. Watts. "Psychosurgery: An Evaluation of Two Hundred Cases over Seven Years." Journal of Mental Science, 90 (379), 1944: 532-537.]

In Dr. Freeman's situation, he initiated the lobotomy by repairing parts of the patient's frontal cortex. According to his understanding of the patient's anatomy, he suggested the lobotomy could result in behavioral changes for the patient.[footnoteRef:4] In addition, from his response, he says the lobotomy helped calm the patient and general decreased responsiveness; viewed as lobotomy's benefit. However, his lobotomy went awry since at this time, surgeons had little knowledge of the brain since and lacked scientific tools useful in visualizing the brain and its activities. [4: Stone, James L. "Gottlieb Burckhardt: The Pioneer of Psychosurgery." Journal of the History of the Neurosciences, 10 (1), 2001: 79-92.]

Criticism of Freeman's Technological Fix

During Dr. Freeman's time, frontal lobotomy was performed on individuals suffering from serious psychiatric conditions. According to medics, this technique was barbaric as it was initiated and performed on the mentally ill patients in asylums. In addition, Freeman's critics argue that frontal lobotomy's cure rate was low since the connection to the prefrontal cortex was cut off.

In addition, medical tools for diagnosing brain activities during this time were not yet developed. In conducting frontal lobotomy, doctor drilled holes into the brain via the skull then used alcohol to destroy portions of the brain.[footnoteRef:5] This procedure was performed on patients in state hospitals having no access to medical treatment requiring surgical rooms, anesthesia and intensive postoperative care. Freeman's critics ascertain this process was inhumane since it was possible that during the drilling, some sections of the brain could be interfered with by the surgeons. [5: Acharya, Hernish J. "The Rise and Fall of Frontal Leucotomy." In The Proceedings of the 13th Annual History of Medicine Days, by WA Whitelaw, 32-41. Calgary, 2004.]

Additionally, the patient's illness was an exaggeration by the doctor according to critics. The statements by the doctors were inaccurate since the patient was constantly agitated, cried a lot, and never cooperated in anything her sister did for her. Besides, the patient had had three-week admission in a private sanitarium and medication from other medics which never helped her. Besides, she protested medical exams always refusing to undergo intelligence tests.