Phantom Limbs and
Lobotomies!!
Psychology
Riverside High School
Mrs. Cavell
Learning Targets:
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Discuss and analyze the occurrence of
phantom limb phenomenon
Analyze the theories that explain
phantom limb pain.
Think about it…
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You are driving on a remote road during
a blizzard. Your car hits an icy patch and
you skid into an embankment. You are
not seriously injured but your right leg is
trapped. After 24 hours pass you realize
that no one is going to find you. Would
you…
JUST A THOUGHT!!
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Cut off your own leg with a pocket knife?
Phantom Limb – A Case Study
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In 1993, Donald Wyman was in the
forest driving a bulldozer.
A giant oak tree suddenly fell and pinned
him to the ground.
He was all alone and no one could hear
his shouts for help.
Donald knew what he had to do.
He took out his 3 inch pocket knife and
cut off his leg, just below the knee.
More about Donald
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He was bleeding badly, but was able to
drag himself to his truck and drive a mile
and a half down the road to get help.
His limb was too badly damaged to be
reattached. (they recovered the part of
his leg he sawed off)
Donald now has an artificial limb that is
fitted to the stump of his leg.
His Recovery
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His recovery went well, though he does
have a problem.
“The toughest part since the accident is
dealing with phantom pain. It feels like
somebody’s holding an electrical shock
to your foot that’s not there. It makes you
jump around.”
We are now going to discuss the strange
phenomenon of the phantom limb.
Phantom Limbs
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Doctors have been puzzled by the
phantom limb since they were first
reported in 1866.
Phantom limb – Feeling sensations or
movements coming from a limb that has
been amputated.
These sensations are felt as if the limb
were still present.
Does this happen frequently?
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The vast majority of individuals claim to feel sensations or
intense pain coming from their removed limb.
They often refer to it as “pins and needles”
They insist that it is “real” pain, not memories of previous
pain.
Some individuals claim that their phantom limb was still
present and that it was stuck in certain positions. (straight
out from their bodies)
Some felt that they had to be very careful not to hit their
phantom limb when going through doorways!
Answers: #1:
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Sensations come from cut nerves in the
stump.
Early research thought that when nerves
were cut near the spinal cord, phantom
limb should have been prevented.
The sensations still remained though.
This early answer has been rejected.
Answer #2:
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Sensations come from the spinal cord.
If sensations from phantom limbs do not come
from the stump, perhaps they originate in the
spinal cord.
Well…Even individuals whose spinal cords
have been severed above the stump report
phantom limb sensations.
A severed spinal cord prevents sensations.
This theory doesn’t work either.
Answer #3:
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Sensations come from the brain itself.
Researchers have enough data now to
indicate that the origin of phantom limb
sensations must be the brain itself.
They are still puzzled however, how the
brain generates sensations from
phantom limbs.
Answer #4:
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Sensations come from a body image stored in
the brain.
This theory states that we are all programmed
with a system of sensations that show us
where are body parts are.
Based on sensations from body parts, the
brain pieces together a complete body image.
Having this “body image”, the brain can
generate sensations coming from any body
part, even if that part is a phantom limb.
Between a Rock and a Hard
Place: The Story of Aron Ralston
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Aron was forced
to cut off his own
arm when he became
trapped while rock climbing.
Let’s hear his story!
Lobotomies…You don’t need
that part of your brain?!
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LOBOTOMY: The removal of some of the prefrontal lobe (no real scientific precision)
WHY? To help alleviate all sorts of mental
illness symptoms. (Depression to
Schizophrenia)
WHO? Dr. Walter Freeman
HOW: Using an ice-pick like instrument
(leucotome), inserting them into the eye-socket
and breaching the bone and removing portions
of the brain.
The Lobes of the Brain
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Frontal Lobes: Regulates emotional behavior and social
interactions, executes plans, decision making, and reasoning
(What makes us human)
Parietal Lobe: Processes sensory information related to touch
(pain and temperature)
Temporal Lobe: Processes information related to sound and
allows us to speak coherently and understand written and
verbal material
Occipital Lobe: Processes visual information such as seeing
colors and recognizing objects and people
Some GRUESOME images from
Dr. Freeman’s collection! WHY?!
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Howard Dully age 12
More photos…
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Unknown patient
Dr. Freeman in action!
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Dr. Freeman pounding in icepicks into
patient’s eyes.