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Technological Fix and Anatomical Body Essay
Pages:3 (989 words)
Sources:3
Subject:Science
Topic:Human Anatomy
Document Type:Essay
Document:#466693
Technological Fix and Anatomical Body
19th and 20th Century Surgical Fixes
During the 1800s, surgery had become a common medical procedure due to the discovery of anesthesia which was used in reducing pain during surgery.[footnoteRef:1] In addition, technological fixes were in place for correcting medical conditions such as the removal of tumors. During this period, medical practitioners were able to describe the locations of structures in relation to other structures in the body which ensured they knew the organ's positions and could conduct surgery of various body parts easily. [1: Porter, R. (1999). The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity from Antiquity to the Present. Fontana Press.]
Following the in-depth understanding of human anatomy and use of antiseptics as well as anesthesia, towards the end of the 19th century, surgeons started performing new types of surgery including dissection of the abdomen, brain, and spinal cord.[footnoteRef:2] In line with this, by the start of the 20th century, improved diagnostic and treatment methods ensured surgery became more effective. It was during this period that Conrad Roentgen, a German physicist unveiled X-rays in 1895 to 'photograph' the inside of the body; this invention greatly changed the way surgery was performed. Besides, Karl Landsteiner, Austrian pathologist discovered blood groups A, B, and O. which helped surgeons give patients transfusions of their own blood type to ensure survival during surgery. [2: Ellis, Harold. A History Of Surgery. Cambridge University Press, 2001.]
In addition, other technological advances such as the development of heart-lung machine in 1953 permitted surgeons to easily and successfully perform surgery on these organs; this marked the onset of modern clinical heart surgery. Furthermore, developing the operating microscope in the 1950s helped surgeons perform operations on small body structures like the inner ear and the eye, and enabled surgeons reattach tiny blood vessels from severed limbs to the body.
Freeman's Frontal Lobotomy
New surgical techniques grounded in a model of the anatomical body continue to bring positive results in surgery. In this regard, current surgical technological fixes are more advanced that the past decades. Modern technological fixes include ultrasound, used in eliminating kidney and gallbladder stones. Other interventions include laser surgery, using beams of light to destroy malignant tissue.
Freeman performed prefrontal lobotomy in accordance to his understanding of anatomical view of the patient's body. According to Freeman, since the patient was suffering from mental illness it was necessary to initiate prefrontal lobotomy. The lobotomy was conducted after administering a local anesthesia which made the patient asleep during the surgery.[footnoteRef:3] Weeks after the operation, there were reduced patient disorientation and three months later she resumed housekeeping for her sister and is doing well. [3: Freeman, Walter, and James W. Watts. "Psychosurgery: An Evaluation of Two Hundred Cases over Seven Years." Journal of Mental Science, 90 (379), 1944: 532-537.]
In Dr. Freeman's situation, he initiated the lobotomy by repairing parts of the patient's frontal cortex. According to his understanding of the patient's anatomy, he suggested…
Sample Source(s) Used
Additionally, the patient's illness was an exaggeration by the doctor according to critics. The statements by the doctors were inaccurate since the patient was constantly agitated, cried a lot, and never cooperated in anything her sister did for her. Besides, the patient had had three-week admission in a private sanitarium and medication from other medics which never helped her. Besides, she protested medical exams always refusing to undergo intelligence tests.
"Examination disclosed a well-nourished woman, about 60 years old, with the classical mien of agitated depression. The tissues were flabby, and there were enormous circles below the eyes. 'There was no significant alteration in the neurologic examination; the retinal arteries showed a mild degree of sclerosis; the blood pressure was 222/128 and the heart was somewhat enlarged. Quite frequently she snorted and cleared her throat with a loud noise (a phenomenon observed in at least three other patients of this series). The hands were warm and dry, and the agitation seemed to be rather superficial"[footnoteRef:6]. [6: Ogren, K, and M. Sandlund. "Psychosurgery in Sweden 1944-1964." Journal of the History of the Neurosciences, 14 (4), 2005: 353-367.]
Dr. Freeman's invasive surgery method made the procedure risky, bringing about several side effects. This surgical intervention was ultimately banned since it never treated the condition and with the discovery of better medications led to its decline[footnoteRef:7] while new methods of treating mental illness are present at present, frontal lobotomy should not be disregarded since during this time, it was the only treatment methods available. [7: ibid]
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