logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2023
5m 12s

Why did the man who invented the lobotom...

BABABAM
About this episode
In 1949, neurologist Egas Moniz reached the pinnacle of his career when he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine. He received this honor for what is now known as a lobotomy, though at the time it was referred to as leucotomy, "for its therapeutic value in certain psychoses." This controversial medical procedure, widely used in the 1940s, was later deemed ... Show More
Up next
Today
What is PimEyes, the powerful tool ending online anonymity?
Launched by a Polish startup in 2017, PimEyes is a powerful facial recognition software tool, which uses reverse image search technology. Just like with Google image search, users can submit an image of a person’s face and Pimeyes will find all images of that person online, provi ... Show More
6m 16s
Today
How many people does it take to start a revolution?
Picture a packed football stadium. One fan stands up, hoping to start a Mexican wave. Nothing happens. Ten people join in? Still nothing. Twenty? No. But once around thirty people rise together, the wave spreads through the crowd. Physicists have studied this phenomenon in stadiu ... Show More
4m 43s
Today
What is Munchausen Syndrome?
If you have heard of Munchausen Syndrome before, it’s far more likely you’ve seen it represented in popular culture than in real life. Like a lot of psychological syndromes, it’s used as a dramatic device in many films and series, like Sharp Objects or The Politician to name just ... Show More
6m 8s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2020
Lobotomies Pt. 1
In the 1940s, Portuguese neurologist António Egas Moniz received the Nobel Prize for his groundbreaking new treatment: the prefrontal lobotomy. His procedure was adopted by hospitals all over the world—but the treatment was controversial, and came to be known as one of medicine’s ... Show More
46m 19s
Oct 2020
Walter Freeman Pt. 1: “Ice Pick Lobotomist”
Neurologist Walter Freeman was a top doctor in his field. He was on the cutting edge of brain surgery, even going so far as to develop a new procedure called the 'lobotomy'. Unfortunately, it became one of the deadliest medical techniques of the 20th century. Learn more about you ... Show More
49m 37s
Aug 2025
#563 | The Curious Origins of The Nobel Prize
Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, was shocked to read his own obituary branding him the "merchant of death." While the story might not be entirely true, it pushed him to reconsider his legacy. His fortune went on to establish the Nobel Prizes, honouring achievements in phys ... Show More
23m 19s
Jan 2019
SYSK Selects: How Lobotomies Work
<p>Lobotomies -- brain surgeries to relieve psychiatric problems -- are rarely performed today, but they were once fairly common. Tune in to learn more about the controversial history and practice of lobotomies.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www ... Show More
33m 19s
Oct 2024
AI critic wins Nobel Prize... for AI
A man has won a Nobel Prize for his work on AI, though he now warns of its dangers.SUBTITLES Find full subtitles for this episode and more programmes to help you with your English at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2024/24100 ... Show More
8m 35s
Jun 2020
Episode 413: Lobotomies Part I - The Cathartic and the Emetic
<p>On the first of a two part series, we cover one of the strangest medical procedures of the 20th century: lobotomies. Join us as we explore the life of the man who popularized the procedure and just how the medical community came to think that it was a good idea in the first pl ... Show More
1h 17m
Oct 2020
Walter Freeman Pt. 2: “Ice Pick Lobotomist”
As criticisms of lobotomy mounted, Dr. Freeman continued performing his dangerous procedure — even without patient consent. Then, with his legacy and career on the line, Freeman spent the final years of his life seeking redemption from patients. Learn more about your ad choices. ... Show More
45m 58s
Jun 2020
Episode 414: Lobotomies Part II - Assistant to the Bone Slicer
<p>On the conclusion to our series on the history of lobotomies, we explore just how the procedure became the most popular mental health treatment of the forties, despite the horrific and unpredictable side effects that came with shoving an ice pick up through an eye socket and w ... Show More
1h 28m
Sep 2020
Lobotomies Pt. 2
With Dr. Walter Freeman’s invention in the 1940s, psychologists could perform a transorbital lobotomy from the comfort of their office… with an ice pick through the eye. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 
46m 10s