Citation

Faria MA. Surg. Neurol. Int. 2013; 4: 91.

Affiliation

Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery (ret.) and Adjunct Professor of Medical History (ret.), Mercer University School of Medicine; President, www.haciendapub.com , Macon, Georgia, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Medknow Publishing)

DOI

10.4103/2152-7806.115162

PMID

23956934

Abstract

In the final installment to this three-part, essay-editorial on psychosurgery, we relate the history of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in humans and glimpse the phenomenal body of work conducted by Dr. Jose Delgado at Yale University from the 1950s to the 1970s. The inception of the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research (1974-1978) is briefly discussed as it pertains to the "determination of the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare regarding the recommendations and guidelines on psychosurgery." The controversial work - namely recording of brain activity, DBS, and amygdalotomy for intractable psychomotor seizures in patients with uncontrolled violence - conducted by Drs. Vernon H. Mark and Frank Ervin is recounted. This final chapter recapitulates advances in neuroscience and neuroradiology in the evaluation of violent individuals and ends with a brief discussion of the problem of uncontrolled rage and "pathologic aggression" in today's modern society - as violence persists, and in response, we move toward authoritarianism, with less freedom and even less dignity.

Language: en