21 Creepy Before And After Pictures Of People Who Underwent Lobotomies

Lobotomy was a type of neurosurgery practiced in the 40s and 50s. It was discovered and popularized by Portuguese neurologist António Egas Moniz and involved the separation of the brain's lobes. The doctors promised this controversial procedure will "rid a patient of delusions, obsessions, nervous tensions and the like" but, sadly, it often led to serious side effects. From the early 40s until 1951, almost 20,000 lobotomies were performed. One of the people that helped popularize it in the United States was Walter Freeman, a physician who had lost his license to perform surgery after one of his patients died on the operating table. That, however, did not stop him from performing brain surgery. The first lobotomies were performed by cutting a hole in the skull, but Freeman came up with a new method, called 'icepick', where he would reach the brain by inserting a metal pick into the corner of a patient's eye socket. Freeman often worked in unsanitary conditions and charged just $25 for the procedure. Throughout his career, he performed over 4,000 lobotomies and kept an extensive journal of photographs of the patients he lobotomized. Check out the eerie before and after pictures of people who underwent the procedure in the gallery below. h/t: Bored Panda

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