Art, Psychology, & Medicine

By Randall D. Ordovich-Clarkson, MD The Suicide  (also known as Satires of Romantic Suicide ) by Spanish artist Leonardo Alenza, 1839 Have you ever stood at the edge of a high place and felt a sudden, unsettling urge to jump, even though you have no desire to harm yourself? Or perhaps while driving, you momentarily imagined swerving into oncoming traffic, only to feel disturbed by the thought moments later. These strange and intrusive impulses are commonly referred to as L’ap

By Dr. O. Clarkson Surgical instruments used in early lobotomies consisted of a leucotome or orbitoclast and a mallet as depicted in this illustration. The era of the lobotomy marks one of the most disturbing chapters in modern medical history, not only because of its cruelty, but also because it emerged from a sense of sheer scientific hubris. For a brief yet troubling period, the deliberate destruction of brain tissue was celebrated as a therapeutic breakthrough. It was a s