Psychosurgery : intelligence, emotion, and social behavior following prefrontal lobotomy for mental disorders.
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | , |
| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
London, England :
Bailliere, Tindall and Cox,
1942.
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Connect to the full text of this electronic book |
| Item Description: | "The treatment of mental disorders has undergone a number of changes in the past two decades. Some of these changes have come to stay, others have been thoroughly tested out and are being restricted or discarded, and still others are just beginning to be investigated. The gratifying results of the malaria therapy for paresis have been followed by the formidable shock methods of treatment with insulin and metrazol, and by the vitamin treatment of the deficiency disorders. The surgical treatment of mental disorders is still in its infancy, and in offering this volume the authors have endeavored to establish a foundation for future work along the same lines. They recognize only too well their own limitations in dealing with such a complex subject as the relationship between the brain and mental disease, yet they have attempted to present the facts, to do justice to past work in the field, and to speculate with one foot occasionally upon the ground. They are inclined to agree with the original concept that the frontal lobes are essential for satisfactory social adaptation; but they suggest that certain individuals may suffer from perverted activity of these areas and may become capable of better adaptation when these lobes are partially inactivated. Theories are developed concerning the mechanism by which the perverted activity of the frontal lobes produces deviation in behavior; and the conclusion is reached that without the frontal lobes there could be no functional psychoses. Perhaps this is an extreme view, perhaps it is only self-evident. Partial separation of the frontal lobes from the rest of the brain results in reduction of disagreeable self-consciousness, abolition of obsessive thinking, and satisfaction with performance, even though the performance is inferior in quality. The emotional nucleus of the psychosis is removed, the "sting" of the disorder, is dra." Includes references and index. Electronic resource. |
|---|---|
| Physical Description: | 1 online resource (xii, 337 pages) |