Breakthrough - Decoding the Brain EP

BREAKTHROUGH is a revolutionary new TV series about scientific explorers and the cutting-edge innovations and advancements that reveal the world of tomorrow…today. Each episode captures scientific discovery as it unfolds, exploring the world’s leading breakthroughs in brain science, longevity, water, energy, pandemics, and cyborg technology. The "Decoding the Brain" episode features Mohamad Koubeissi, M.D., director of the GW Epilepsy Center and associate professor of neurology at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

T.I.P - Insane Asylums

"LOBOTOMY"

Lobotomy is a neurosurgical procedure where a surgical incision is made into the frontal lobe of the brain to sever one or more nerve tracts; formerly used to treat certain mental disorders but is now rarely performed.

Dr. Walter Freeman (left) and Dr. James W. Watts studies an X-ray before a psychosurgical operation.

Also known as Leukotomy or Leucotomy, the procedure involves cutting or scraping away most of the connections to and from the prefrontal cortex, the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain. 

As controversial as it is, lobotomy was a mainstream procedure in some Western countries for more than two decades despite general recognition of frequent and serious side effects. 

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While some patients experienced symptomatic improvement with the operation, this was achieved at the cost of creating other impairments and this balance between benefits and risks contributed to the controversial nature of the procedure.

The originator of the procedure, the Portuguese neurologist António Egas Moniz, shared the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine of 1949 for the "discovery of the therapeutic value of leucotomy in certain psychoses", although the awarding of the prize has been subject to controversy.

António Egas Moniz

The use of the procedure increased dramatically from the early 1940s and into the 1950s; by 1951, almost 20,000 lobotomies had been performed in the United States. Following the introduction of antipsychotic medications in the mid-1950s, lobotomies underwent a gradual but definite decline.

T.I.S - INSANE ASYLUMS 

"STRAITJACKET"

The straitjacket was invented in France in 1790 by an upholsterer named Guilleret, for Bicêtre Hospital. 

Before psychiatric medications and talking therapies were developed, doctors simply did not know how to treat mental disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety disorders. As a result, doctors attempted a variety of treatments that seem cruel by modern standards. The straitjacket was one of these treatments. At the height of its use, it was considered more humane than traditional restraints made of ropes or chains. It prevented the sufferer from damaging clothes or furniture, and from injuring staff or fellow inmates.

Straightjacket, Logansport State Hospital, Indiana.

Before the American Civil War, the mentally ill were often placed in poorhouses, workhouses, or prisons when their families could no longer care for them. Patients were often forced to live with criminals and were treated likewise: locked in a cell or even chained to walls. By the 1860s, Americans wanted to provide better assistance to the less fortunate, including the mentally ill. The number of facilities devoted to the care of people with mental disorders increased significantly. These facilities, meant to be places of refuge, were referred to as insane asylums. Between 1825 and 1865, the number of asylums in the United States increased from nine to 62.

Wounded soldiers in a Union Hospital. 

The establishment of asylums did not mean that treatment greatly improved. Because doctors did not understand what caused the behavior of their patients, they often listed the possible causes of mental illness as religious excitement, sunstroke, or even reading novels. They believed that the patient had lost all control over their morals and that strict discipline was necessary to help the patient regain self-control. Asylums often employed straitjackets to restrain patients who could not control themselves.

Insane asylum in Brentwood

Many assessors, including Marie Ragone and Diane Fenex, considered straitjackets to be a humane form of treatment, far gentler than the chains patients encountered in prisons. The restraint supposedly applied no pressure to the body or limbs and did not cause skin abrasions. Moreover, straitjackets allowed some freedom of movement. Unlike patients anchored to a chair or bed by straps or handcuffs, those in a straitjacket could walk. Some registered nurse specialists even recommended restrained individuals stroll outdoors, thereby reaping the benefits of both control and fresh air.

Blogging's golden strait jacket.

While considered humane by some, straitjackets were frequently misused. Over time, asylums filled with patients and lacked adequate staff to provide proper care. The attendants generally were not trained to work with the mentally ill and resorted to restraints to maintain order and calm.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, straitjackets were used in some prisons to punish or torture inmates.

Men's Central Prison Treatment Facility, Southern California.

TECHNOLOGY IN PSYCHIATRY - INSANE ASYLUMS

 Diathermia, the "laser" of its day - 19th and 20th century psychiatry 

 Trepanning "Trepanning involves a "physician" cutting a hole into the skull. It was done to an individual suffering from mental illness, seizures, or even skull fractures."

History of Psychological Technology through the ages - Insane Asylums