Why Were Lobotomies So Enthusiastically Accepted by the Medical Community

question 161

Multiple Choice

Why were lobotomies so enthusiastically accepted by the medical community in the 1940s and 1950s?

• A) They were based on sound experimental studies with animals.
• B) The inventors of this procedure were gifted and dedicated physicians.
• C) There were relatively few of them and side effects were mild.
• D) They could be used to control criminals as well as mental patients.

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Definitions:

Atomic Nucleus

The central part of an atom, composed of protons and neutrons, which contains the majority of the atom's mass.

Beta Decay

A radioactive decay process in which an unstable atomic nucleus transforms by emitting a beta particle (electron or positron).

Two-Atomic-Mass Unit

A unit of mass equal to one-twelfth the mass of a carbon-12 atom, used to express atomic and molecular weights.