A RATING SCALE ANALYSIS OF THE CLINICAL EFFECTS OF LOBOTOMY

We have demonstrated the application of a clinical psychiatric rating scale to a specific problem, namely the evaluation of the effects of lobotomy upon schizophrenia. Our primary concern was the presentation of a technique and tool which assist the clinical psychiatrist to determine with greater accuracy the quantity as well as the quality of the changes occurring in the course of disease and as a result of therapy. We recognize that in this study a relatively small number of patients were involved. If, however, we ourselves and other workers elsewhere carry on with this endeavor we feel that we shall arrive at a better understanding of the psychopathology of schizophrenia and what we may hope for as a result of our treatment methods. We believe the rating scale can aid in this direction because of the following advantages:

1. The patient is rated in terms of his own premorbid personality rather than in comparison with a theoretical average normal or average schizophrenic.

2. It permits of a more accurate definition of the manifestations of the disease process by indicating the quantity and direction of the disturbances occurring in particular functions.

3. It enables us to evaluate the effects of a given method of therapy in 2 different, but highly important areas: (a) upon symptoms produced by the disease itself, and (b) upon personality functions not necessarily involved in the disease process.