1. a surgeon who performs psychosurgery, a surgical procedure on the brain intended to treat severe mental illness or behavioral disorders
Usage: medical/specialized; often used in historical or critical contexts due to ethical concerns about psychosurgical procedures

Examples

• The psychosurgeon performed a prefrontal lobotomy on the patient in the 1950s.
• Critics argue that early psychosurgeons operated without adequate understanding of brain function.
• Modern psychosurgeons use advanced imaging and more targeted techniques than their predecessors.
• The ethics of psychosurgery remain debated among medical professionals and bioethicists.
• Few psychosurgeons practice today due to the availability of pharmaceutical and behavioral treatments.