Hannah Hendrix Ms.Harder English 3 Honors 15 February 2023 Mental Health Treatments in the Early 1900s and Why they were Harmful Horrifying, shocking, and downright nauseating are words that some choose to describe the things done to those who were perceived to be suffering from mental illnesses in the early 1900s. These range from being chained up, drowned, shocked, cut open, and even detaching the entire frontal lobe from the brain. Needless to say, not a first-class experience. Many saw these treatments as the best solution but based on all the effects that happened without any type of consent, and how much they targeted women, there is no doubt that mental health practices in the early 1900s hurt more people than they helped. It is easy to look back to where the practices started to see how poorly they hold up by current standards. One of the first “cures” was referred to as hydrotherapy, this was …show more content…
It is said that “ The popularity of lobotomies spread like wildfire, with thousands of people being subjected to the 10-minute procedure,” (Charleston). One victim of this lobotomy craze is Howard Dully, a twelve-year-old boy who was given a lobotomy at the behest of his stepmother who wanted him to be quieter. Dully, who is now fifty-six, says “I've always felt different — wondered if something's missing from my soul,” (My Lobotomy': Howard Dully's Journey). It should be noted that this is the real harm that lobotomies cause to the patients undergoing them, they lose parts of themselves and turn into completely different people. JFK’s sister is also an example of how much people can lose their core identity, Someone who was once a confident and well-liked woman turned into someone who needed care for the remaining sixty years of their life is a tragedy
Howard Dully wrote a book about his life, also about how he received a lobotomy. His book is called, “My Lobotomy.” A lobotomy is a surgical operation involving an incision into the prefrontal lobe of the bain. Howard should not have received a lobotomy for many reasons.
So based on not having enough knowledge of psychosurgery and the brain, Freeman’s surgical procedures, based on his determination, was pretty good. One would feel, though, that how he went about it, how he performed the surgeries, and how the patients were treated based off the surgery and it’s tools that he was very inhumane and the procedure was shameful. After this, the lobotomy era did not last long. (Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science, April 8,
Founded in 1883 by James C. Hawthorne, the Oregon State Hospital previously referred to as The Oregon State Insane Asylum has contributed to the success of present day society’s perception of mental health. Legislature passed an act in 1880, which allowed the Oregon state government to run a psychiatric facility (Mental Health Ass). The late 1800’s placed individuals determined to be a burden to society within the hospital to receive treatment. Mental health is currently accepted within American society and viewed as a disease rather than a mental disturbance and danger to civilization.
People find it intriguing how mental health was poorly treated in the 1800’s. They were abandoned, until Eli Todd came along. For example, Eli Todd has innovated mental health with better tactics. He treated them with care and compassion. After his late sister passed, he vowed to do his best for anyone suffering mentally, leading him to build the retreat with $300k.
Along with the isolation and neglect of individuals experiencing mental illness, the use of harsh medicines and torturous inhumane methods were present in the 1900s. One of these methods was shock therapy, “insulin shock therapy injected high levels of insulin into patients to cause convulsions and a coma,” (Fabian and Catchings). It was believed that once the patient were revived from this induced coma they would be cured of their “madness” (Fabian and Catchings). In the institutions, which were created with the intent to assist the mentally ill were instead torturing the patients psychologically, often causing more paranoia and insanity. Another treatment used in asylums were lobotomies.
The 1910s were marked by several health issues, with one of the most significant being the devastating influenza pandemic of 1918-1919, commonly known as the Spanish Flu. This essay will provide an analysis of this health crisis, compare it with the modern-day issue of the Covid-19 pandemic, and explore the evolution of healthcare approaches over time. In the 1910s, health issues were prevalent, and one of the major challenges was the stigma surrounding mental health problems. Unlike today, mental health resources were scarce, leading to the mistreatment and marginalization of individuals with mental health conditions.
Lobotomies came into vogue in the 1940s as an advanced surgery to intervene in the lives of women suffering from schizophrenia. The ethical complications of lobotomies led to a series of reforms that aimed to discontinue lobotomies and practice more humane methods. Scientists invented technologies that have much more effective and fewer side effects than lobotomy in the later years of the 1900s. The convenient procedure of lobotomy became the best prescription for the mentally disturbed women in the 1940s, yet the controversies surrounding the ethics and side effects of this operation led to its demise as a best
Research Question The introduction of the lobotomy procedure to North America was primarily due to its endorsement by famed neurologist Walter Freeman in the early 20th century. Despite a barrage of criticism and hostility from both psychoanalysts and a small portion of the medical community who questioned the ethics of the procedure. However, Freeman’s procedure success was mainly due to his reputation as one of the nation’s best neurologists. Freeman was a professor of neurology at George Washington University and performed the first lobotomy in the United States.
Occupational Therapy began to emerge in the 1700s, during the “Age of Enlightment”. It was during this period that revolutionary ideas were evolving regarding the “infirmed” and mentally ill. At that time in history, the mentally ill were treated like prisoners; locked up and considered to be a danger to society. It wasn’t until two gentlemen; Phillipe Pinel and William Tuke started to challenge society’s belief about the mentally ill, that a new understanding, philosophy, and treatment would emerge. Phillipe Pinel began what was then called “Moral Treatment and Occupation”, as an approach to treating mental illness, in 1973.
Through the institutions, patients had less freedom, were forced to do activities, had no say in their treatments, and had to be helped with everyday tasks. The lifestyle in mental hospitals corresponded with American life in the 1950’s and early 1960’s because the mental hospitals encouraged conformity. Even though the Beat Generation’s ideals would have been seen as outrageous in the 1950’s and 1960’s, their beliefs rejected conformity and encouraged a new lifestyle for
During the twentieth- century, lobotomy became a popular procedure performed on patients with neurosis such as schizophrenia, bi-polar mood disorder, personality disorder, etc. Many scientists, especially at the time, argued that poking holes through parts of the brain and swishing parts around helps make patients more calm and cooperative. I predict that lobotomy had no benefits for the patient but rather in a dissociative state to appear calm. By understanding the history of lobotomy, patients' experience and stories, and alternatives we can grasp a better view in how lobotomy was unethical and ineffective. Lobotomy has evolved from various techniques, patients, countries, and psychosurgeons.
As time moves you will be informed on a lobotomy is, what it was supposed to help with, the well and bad results of what it has done, and what it has evolved into today. The definition for lobotomy is “The operation of cutting into a lobe, as of the brain or lung”(Dictionary.com). In the 1930’s doctors figured out that by separating parts of the frontal lobe of the brain, they could alter a
Psychiatry continued to be undefined as a specialty into the 20th century, and physicians from other specialties carried on the instruction in this field. Some asylums were founded in early 19th century, and by 1843 there were around 24 hospitals for the care of the mentally ill. (APA, 1944) The first homeopathic hospital for the mentally ill was founded in Middletown, New York, in May 1874. According to the attending physicians "...did not require the use of the opiates, bromides or chloral hydrate in order to control the patients"(Stiles, 1875).
The public believed lobotomies were a great cure for mental illness because the inventor got a noble prize for ‘’perfecting the operation’’, but what the public didn’t know was the negatives of this surgery. Yes there were cases when an individual came out better than before going in, but there were also cases of people coming out the same or even dying during the surgery because it was pretty risky. For example; ‘’some patients were found to be lethargic, childish and underdeveloped after psychosurgery. If done wrong, possibly braindead and unresponsive, or the illness becomes even worse.’’ (Myer’s, D.G. 2011)
supporters of this procedure, neurologist Walter F. Freeman travelled throughout the world to advertise the positive effects of this new procedure. He even cited a study where thirteen of twenty patients’ conditions supposedly improved after their lobotomies (Lerner 1). There was opposition from other neurologists as they saw the aftereffects of the lobotomy performed on one of the Kennedy children – Rosemary Kennedy (Goldberg 1). After the surgery, she was not able to coherently articulate herself and she was not able to take care of herself. Despite the negative outcomes, doctors were still implementing lobotomies between 1930’s and 1970’s.