transorbital lobotomy

surgery

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July 14, 2026

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Transorbital lobotomy is a surgical procedure where nerve pathways in the brain's frontal lobe are severed from other areas. This was historically used to treat severe mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.123

The procedure involved drilling holes in the skull or, in the case of transorbital lobotomy, forcing a picklike instrument through the eye socket to sever these connections. While some patients experienced reduced agitation, many suffered from apathy, lack of concentration, and diminished emotional response. The practice declined with the advent of more effective medications.1

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Walter Jackson Freeman II
Development of transorbital lobotomy
By 1945 Freeman had begun to lose confidence in the effectiveness of standard lobotomy, and thus he set to work on refining a procedure known as transorbital lobotomy, which was not only less expensive and faster than standard lobotomy but also, Freeman believed,…
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By 1945 Freeman had begun to lose confidence in the effectiveness of standard lobotomy, and thus he set to work on refining a procedure known as transorbital lobotomy, which was not only less expensive and faster than standard lobotomy but also, Freeman believed,…
Read More

lobotomy
…the procedure, replacing it with transorbital lobotomy, in which a picklike instrument was forced through the back of the eye sockets to pierce the thin bone that separates the eye sockets from the frontal lobes. The pick’s point was then inserted into the frontal lobe and used to sever connections…
Read More
…the procedure, replacing it with transorbital lobotomy, in which a picklike instrument was forced through the back of the eye sockets to pierce the thin bone that separates the eye sockets from the frontal lobes. The pick’s point was then inserted into the frontal lobe and used to sever connections…
Read More