諾貝爾生理學獎的恥辱|冰錐療法

點擊藍字關注我們

諾貝爾生理學獎最大的恥辱是什麼，這麼問這個問題的話，可能大家會一頭霧水。但如果直接提到前額葉摘除術，也被俗稱為「冰錐療法」，或許你就會恍然大悟。1949年華爾特·赫斯（Walter Rudolf Hess）和安東尼·莫尼斯（Antonio Moniz）因「發現了腦白質切斷術對某些精神疾病的治療價值」而獲得了1949年的諾貝爾生理學與醫學獎。這一次的諾貝爾醫學獎也是最為世人不齒的一次諾貝爾獎。

（前額葉摘除術示意圖）

福音還是災難？

如果有一個人能夠治療精神病，那麼他一定會受到萬人敬仰，因為即使是現在也沒人能夠讓精神病人得到根治，而安東尼·莫尼斯就是當時站在「風口」上的人。

在1935年8月於倫敦召開的第二屆國際神經學大會上，卡萊爾·雅各布森（Carlyle Jacobsen）等人報告了一項研究成果。他們通過腦葉切割的方法，損毀了兩隻黑猩猩的前額葉皮層。其中一隻名為Becky的黑猩猩發生了巨大的改變。Becky在手術之後變得溫順祥和、人畜無害並且毫不猶豫地參加實驗測試。同樣也參加了這次會議的莫尼斯據此推測特定地切除前額葉也許能給嚴重的精神病患者帶來福音。因此，他決定嘗試在人體上進行類似的手術。於是醫學史上的黑歷史就此開始了。莫尼斯利用類似的方法對20名病人進行了實驗，實驗後的病人都倖存了下來。患者術後基本上都沒了之前的癲狂、躁動、抑鬱等行為，並且也沒有留下任何嚴重的、短期內可以發現的後遺症，於是莫尼斯便草草地發布了他的實驗結果，並聲稱這是一項高效、安全的技術，並獲得了1949年的諾貝爾生理學獎。

（諾貝爾生理學獎）

這一技術當時轟動了整個世界，經過莫尼斯和媒體的瘋狂宣傳後，人們紛紛開始利用這一技術治療精神病患者。這一技術操作和原理十分簡單：先把病人重度電擊麻痺，病人進入無意識狀態後，通過每隻眼睛的上面刺入破冰錐並通過徒手攪動破冰錐來切除前額葉。可以想像當時的醫療環境本身就不先進，經過這種簡單粗暴的手術後，對於病人大腦的損傷究竟有多大。

簡陋的環境、粗暴的手法、圍觀的群眾

但漸漸地人們發現，經過手術後的人們雖然沒有之前那麼暴躁，那麼癲癇抑鬱，但他們就仿佛被抽離了靈魂一樣，變得痴呆，無法正常與人相處，無法自理生活，但是可怕的是人們依然相信這一手術能夠治療精神病人，該療法的「便捷、高效」逐漸讓人瘋狂，人們甚至把自家不聽話的小孩、戰後抑鬱的軍人、叛逆的青年以及罪犯送去做前額葉摘除，就連甘迺迪總統的姐姐也被實施了這一手術，僅僅因為她有智力障礙。據不完全是統計，在1936年到1960年美國就有4到5萬的病人被實施了這樣殘忍粗暴的手術。

（甘迺迪姐姐手術前後對比）

前額葉手術漸漸遭到抗議

前額葉手術對人體造成的傷害早在30年代就有媒體進行報導，但是人們並沒有在意這些報導，接受手術的病人不再狂躁，令其家人感到久違的寧靜，接受手術的人則變成行屍走肉，他們不會抱怨，自然反對的聲音就少了。直到1950年，一種新的抗精神病藥——氯丙嗪——被成功合成，並應用於精神分裂症和躁鬱症的治療。自此，一直為人詬病的前額葉摘除術才被推下神壇。後來蘇聯率先禁止了這一手術，到了1970年世界上的絕大數國家也禁止了這一手術。

（抗精神病藥——氯丙嗪）

思考與反思

前額葉手術對人體的傷害極大，但是即使是有種種證據可以表明，但當時的人們還是趨之若鶩，背後的原因有很多，但終究還是離不開四個字——私慾、利益。當時的人們對精神病人感到無能為力，認為他們是魔鬼的附身，即使作為精神病人的親人，他們也無法給予精神病人充分的理解和關懷，精神病人對於當時的家庭就是累贅，人們不堪重負，當有一種「能夠治療精神疾病」的方法後，人們自然都是迫不及待，希望通過這種手術能夠使他們不再飽受精神疾病患者的折磨，出於關懷也好，出於憎恨也罷，都給接受手術的人帶了極大的痛苦。而莫尼斯則是出於名利、金錢的欲望，在沒有通過對「前額葉摘除術」深入的研究便草草推出這種粗暴殘忍的療法，嚴重地辱沒了醫學、給世界帶來了慘痛的災難，更為可笑的是，諾貝爾官方始終沒有駁回授予他的獎章名譽。

「你想當一個活著的野獸呢，還是做一個死去的好人？」 --《禁閉島》

可笑的是：人們出於私慾和利益竟然選擇了後者。

（電影《禁閉島》名場面）

Today's topic:

What is the biggest mistake of the Nobel Prize in Physiology? If you ask this question, you may be at a loss. But if you directly mention the prefrontal lobe extraction, also commonly known as "ice cone therapy," you might come across. In 1949, Walter Rudolf Hess and Antonio Moniz won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1949 for "discovering the therapeutic value of leukotomy for certain mental illnesses" . This time the Nobel Prize in Medicine is also the most shameless Nobel Prize in the world.

Gospel or disaster?

If there is a person who can treat mental illness, he will definitely be admired by thousands of people, because even now no one can get a cure for the mentally ill, and Anthony Monis was the one who stood on the front line at that time.At the Second International Congress of Neurology held in London in August 1935, Carlyle Jacobsen and others reported a research result. They damaged the prefrontal cortex of two chimpanzees by cutting the brain lobes. One of the chimpanzees named Becky has undergone tremendous changes. Becky became docile and peaceful after the operation, harmless to humans and animals, and did not hesitate to participate in the experimental test. Monis, who also participated in this meeting, speculated that specific removal of the frontal lobe might bring good news to patients with severe mental illness. Therefore, he decided to try a similar operation on the human body. So the dark history in medical history began. Monis used a similar method to experiment on 20 patients, and all the patients survived the experiment. After the operation, the patients basically lost their previous behaviors such as madness, restlessness, depression, and left no serious sequelae that can be found in a short time. So Monis hurriedly released the results of his experiment and claimed this. It is an efficient and safe technology and won the Nobel Prize in Physiology in 1949.This technology caused a sensation in the world at that time. After the crazy publicity of Monis and the media, people began to use this technology to treat mental patients. The operation and principle of this technique are very simple: first paralyze the patient with severe electric shock, and after the patient enters the unconscious state, insert the ice-breaking cone through the top of each eye and agitate the ice-breaking cone with bare hands to remove the frontal lobe. It is conceivable that the medical environment itself was not advanced at that time. After such a simple and rude operation, the damage to the patient's brain was so great.But gradually people discovered that although people after the operation were not as irritable and epileptic as they were before, they became demented, unable to get along with others normally, and unable to take care of themselves, but the terrible thing was that they were taken away from their souls. People still believe that this surgery can treat mental patients. The "convenience and efficiency" of the therapy is gradually making people crazy. People even send their own disobedient children, post-war depressed soldiers, rebellious youths and criminals to have their frontal lobes removed. ， Even President Kennedy’s sister was also subjected to this operation, just because she has an intellectual disability. According to incomplete statistics, from 1936 to 1960, 40,000 to 50,000 patients in the United States were subjected to such brutal and brutal operations.

Frontal lobe surgery is gradually being protested

The damage caused by the prefrontal lobe surgery to the human body was reported by the media as early as the 1930s, but people did not pay attention to these reports. The patients undergoing the surgery were no longer manic, making their family members feel long-lost peace, and those undergoing the surgery became walking dead. ， They will not complain, and naturally there will be less opposition. Until 1950, a new antipsychotic drug—chlorpromazine—was successfully synthesized and used in the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Since then, the prefrontal lobe removal surgery that has been criticized has been pushed down the altar. Later, the Soviet Union took the lead in banning this operation, and in 1970 most countries in the world also banned it.

Thinking and reflection

The frontal lobe surgery is extremely harmful to the human body, but even if there is evidence to show that, people at that time are still rushing for it. There are many reasons behind it, but after all, it is still inseparable from the four words-selfishness and interest. People at that time felt powerless against mental patients and believed that they were possessed by the devil. Even as relatives of mental patients, they could not give them full understanding and care. Mental patients were a burden to the family at that time, and people were overwhelmed. After there is a "can cure mental illness" method, people naturally can't wait, hoping that this kind of surgery can make them no longer suffer from the torture of mental illness patients, whether it is out of care or hatred, they are accepted. The person who had the operation brought great pain. Monis, on the other hand, out of fame, fortune, and money. He did not pass the in-depth research of "frontal lobe extraction" and introduced this kind of brutal and cruel treatment, which seriously humiliated medicine and brought tragic disaster to the world. What's even more ridiculous is that Nobel officials have never rejected the medal honor awarded to him.

"Do you want to be a living beast, or be a good dead man?"--《The Confinement Island》

The ridiculous thing is that people chose the latter out of selfish desires and interests.

翻譯：Google翻譯

參考資料：東華君 《額葉切除術，諾貝爾獎的「黑歷史」？》

本文由LearningYard學苑原創，部分圖片來源於網絡，如有侵權請聯繫。

關注我們 帶你一起漲知識！