Scandal disabled decades on the brain operated

Psychiatry Scandal: Disabled over decades operated on the brain involuntarily. Many sufferers have died as a result of brain surgery. In addition, the procedure changed the personality structure.

A medical scandal has now become known to the wider public in Denmark: For decades, people with mental disabilities have been involuntarily operated on the brain. There were numerous deaths. Even children underwent surgery, although their mental development was still ongoing. The operations took place until the 80s and were only then banned.

Disabled operated without consent
A medical scandal is currently shaking the public from Denmark. For decades, mentally handicapped people operated on the brain without consent. Many people have died, as a Danish historian reports. The procedure was called then „lobotomy“ and should in itself lessen the impact of disabilities. But the result was fatal, as the historian Jesper Vaczy Kragh reports to the newspaper "Kristelig Dagbladet". About eight percent of those affected died after the intervention on the brain.

In the process „lobotomy“ certain nerve tracts in the brain are separated. It was widely used in psychiatry in the 1950s, although there were no studies on the true medical benefit. In the operative method not only many people died as a result of the operation, the personality of the patients also changed dramatically. As a result of lobotomy, a personality change occurs with disruption of drive and emotionality. Therefore, this method was actually discarded relatively quickly. But in Denmark the operations were applied from 1947 to 1983. Today no psychiatry in the world experiments with humans in such a procedure.

Operations were also performed on young children
The historian Kragh was particularly critical of the fact that lobotomy was even used on children of no more than six years of age. Because the children's brain is not fully developed and developed at this stage of development. Even if at that time it was assumed that such methods would be helpful, according to the then state of knowledge children would not have been allowed to operate on the brain.

It was only in 1983 that the then Danish government banned the psychiatric surgical method. According to official figures, around 4,500 people were operated in Denmark by then. It was not known that even disabled people were subjected to such an operation. There are no official figures on how many handicapped people in Denmark have had their brains operated on. The historian reports that more than 300 mentally disabled people were affected. He refers to old hospital records and patient records, which he had evaluated.

Total lack of human life
Sytter Kristensen, chairwoman of the Danish Association for Disabled People, was deeply shocked. Such procedures are evidence of a "total lack of respect for human life". Kristensen criticized above all that the operations were carried out on defenseless people. There was not even hope for a positive result. The Danish Ministry of Health announced that it intended to thoroughly investigate the incidents. In the coming week, the Danish historian Jesper Vaczy Kragh wants to present his research in a book. After the presentation of the research further details are expected.

Not only in Denmark was the highly controversial method applied. A historical study showed that lobotomy was also used in other countries. In Sweden, according to numerous media reports, about 4,500 people were lobotomized by 1963. Many were also operated in Sweden against their will. By the end of the 70s, the procedure was also applied in Germany. Involuntary operations in Germany on the disabled have not yet become known. (sb, 26.09.2010)

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Picture credits: Michael Bührke