Technological Th Century Surgical \"Technological

Technological

th Century Surgical "Technological Fix"

th Century Surgical "Technological Fix"

This paper intends to explore the concept of the accepted reality of the anatomical body and they way that this concept is linked to the "technological fix" and to the foundations of scientific and rational thought linked to these concepts. More precisely, the questions that will be examined are; was the surgical 'technological fix' grounded in a model of the 'anatomical body' and to what extent does this also apply to Freeman's 'technological fix' of mental illness through frontal lobotomy?

A number of critics in the past and today have questioned the anatomical view of the body as applied to neurological procedures such as lobotomy. This also refers to Freeman's explanation and defense of his technique. In order to understand this debate in a wider context one firstly has to briefly discuss the foundations of the anatomical view of the body and human medicine.

In the first instance the anatomical view of the body developed as a result of the rational and scientific view of reality and human existence that was prevalent during the nineteenth and early twentieth century's. The body was seen to conform to the same physical laws and rational order that governed the physical world. In essence the body was a perceived as a "machine" that could be rationalized in the same way as a mechanical device. This view has a long history and begins with the rise of secular humanism in the West and movement away the religious foundations of society in favor a growing scientific order.

These antecedents led to the concept of the anatomical body, seen from the point-of-view of reason, logic and science -- which was to form the basis of modern surgery. The technological fix refers to the use of engineering or technology to solve problems or to enhance human life. This term was widely used, in a derogatory sense, in the 1960s with regard to growing concerns about the role that technology played in various disciples -- especially in medicine. However, by the 1970s the technological fix was seen as either partial or infective and open to abuse and opposed to a more inclusive and holistic approach to reality. (Rosner 2004)

The issue of the anatomical body as a reflection of a scientific and rational process, especially with regard to its impact on modern medicine and surgery, is exemplified in the issue and problematic of psychosurgery, and in the work of Freeman and others. As Pressman (1998) notes in Psychosurgery and the Limits of Medicine, the view of this form of surgery have changed and the "technological fix" of lobotomy as the answer to many psychological and psychiatric ills is no longer accepted. In other words this suggests that the purely scientific and rational perception of reality has been questioned and the view has been put forward that there are many other factors and variables that influence the choice or acceptance of this type of surgery. Pressman notes that "What was considered obvious in the 1940s and 1950s ...may jar the sensibilities of more recent observers." ( Pressman,1998, 195)

In other words, the technological fix and the belief in its veracity is being questioned and deconstructed by the more modern and open-minded view of medicine and the reality that serves as a foundation for medical praxis. As Pressman states, "Given what has later become known about the delicacies of brain function and the complexities of psychiatric illness, it strains credulity that such a crude procedure as the original lobotomies might truly have yielded therapeutic benefits for a great many patients." (Pressman1998, 195) This also refers to the fact that some medical theories are favored at certain times and not others. This suggests the relativity rather than the certainty of the scientific -- rational worldview.

The above brings us to the views put forward by Freeman and others concerning the technological fix. This in turn relates to other questions; such as why a method like lobotomy should have been seen to be effective in the past but not today. This leads to the view that political and social factors influence medicine and especially the success once attributed to a technology like lobotomy. For example, Pressman refers to the finding that lobotomies were "…successful because they removed troublesome people form society. Medicine had found an all-too-easy way to reshape society's square pegs to fit into round holes" and "...it was only a matter to time before a tool with such potential for abuse would be put in play by authoritarian and repressive forces." (Pressman 1998, 196)

However, Freeman argues for the use of the technology of lobotomy in terms of the results that he found. For example;

In one case auricular fibrillation due to rheumatic heart disease disappeared, and a presystolic murmur became audible for the first time. Marked alterations in blood pressure have also been observed, e.g., a fall in systolic pressure from 170 to 140 mm. Favorable changes have also been observed in distressing gastro-intestinal symptoms, such as indigestion, bloating, constipation and hemorrhoids.