Title:
Chapter 10: Chipped
Reference:
Summary:
Chipped is about lobotomy. The chapter begins speaking of Anonio Moniz, the Nobel Prize winner in 1949. He was the one who kick-started psychosurgery by cutting the fibers connecting the frontal lobe of the limbic system (from inspiration from a monkey). This was done in order to cure a seizure. It has been found that there is a correlation between this type of procedure and a decrease in depression and anxiety. Moniz had poor follow up, however, so his contributions are limited.
The chapter goes into the differences and similarities between these surgeries and pills such as Prozac which are suppose to do the same thing, but one is hailed and one is almost forbidden. As a result of these pills (that humans seem so much more willing to take than have a knife to their brain) lobotomies have decreased to an almost obsolete level.
The last part talks about Charlie Newitz who was given the OK for surgery because he had underwent many doctors and medicine all to no avail. The surgery ends up helping him with his OCD.
Discussion:
This chapter was fairly interesting in seeing how lobotomy has unfolded in history. The idea is scary when you think about it in relation to pills. It does seem like a pill is much less intimidating than putting a knife to your brain. Reading through this chapter I got many uneasy feelings in me. I don't know if it was all the talk about cutting or something more macabre and spiritual, but it was not a good way to end the book in my opinion. It didn't stem me to do more research on her findings, it didn't leave me begging the questions "what in the world happened?", it didn't get me to look within the depths of society to find meaning for something. It kind of left me high and dry, so much so that I was not stimulated to read the conclusion.
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