1. surgical operations in which nerve pathways in the frontal lobe of the brain are severed, formerly used to treat mental illness
Usage: medical; historical

Examples

• Lobotomies were commonly performed in the 1940s and 1950s.
• The doctor performed hundreds of lobotomies during his career.
• Many patients who received lobotomies experienced severe personality changes.
• The use of lobotomies declined with the development of psychiatric medications.
• Lobotomies are now considered an outdated and harmful medical practice.
• The hospital kept detailed records of all lobotomies performed there.