Egas Moniz and the controversial history of the lobotomy

Egas Moniz, a Portuguese physician, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1949 for developing the prefrontal leucotomy, a procedure later widely known as the lobotomy. Developed in 1935 alongside neurosurgeon Almeida Lima, the technique involved making twelve precise cuts in the frontal lobe to sever neural connections between the thalamus and the prefrontal cortex. Moniz hypothesized that mental disorders were caused by fixed thought loops within these circuits.

The procedure was inspired by research from Yale University, which demonstrated that removing the prefrontal cortex of an aggressive chimpanzee resulted in a docile, albeit apathetic, animal. Following the publication of initial results, the technique gained rapid international acceptance and was implemented in dozens of countries.

In the United States, the procedure was adopted on an industrial scale in overcrowded public hospitals to manage costs and free up beds. While the Nobel Committee initially recognized the discovery for its “proven therapeutic value,” the lobotomy is now regarded as one of the most significant errors in medical history.