Nobel Prizes under Scrutiny: Debunking the ‘Someone Wins by Mistake’ Myth
The esteemed historical figure of Barack Obama, for instance, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009. Many saw this award as a beacon of hope during a period filled with environmental and social concerns. However, when the surge in Afghanistan expanded, involving the deployment of 140,000 additional troops and substantial funding to the military industrial complex, the same award started to look questionable. Critical analysis reveals a more complex narrative surrounding such accolades.
Lobotomy and the Controversial Nobel Prize
Another contentious example is the Nobel Prize awarded to Egas Moniz in 1949. His pioneering work involved the prefrontal leukotomy, also known as lobotomy, which became popular as a treatment for mental disorders such as schizophrenia. This procedure involved a crude and invasive approach, using a tool resembling an ice pick to sever connections between the frontal lobes and the rest of the brain.
Moniz described his findings cautiously: ‘three were characterized as almost cured and another two also had become much better.’ This justified the procedure as ‘a simple operation always safe which may prove to be an effective surgical treatment in certain cases of mental disorder.’ Yet, the broader impacts were alarming. Modern scientists have denounced it as ‘one of the greatest mistakes of modern medicine.’
The Washington Post summarized the controversy by stating, ‘It might seem sensible then to strike Moniz’s honor from the record— and some groups have advocated for this. But the Nobel Foundation does not revoke awards and many see Moniz’s story as a reminder that humility should guide scientific inquiry.’
Nonetheless, the Nobel Foundation maintains a more favorable stance, citing a study of 9,284 patients where 41 had recovered or were greatly improved while 28 were minimally improved, 25 showed no change, 2 had become worse, and 4 had died. Critics argue that such studies without a control group are highly unreliable and do not provide a fair basis for the award.
Side Effects and Ethical Concerns
Furthermore, the known side effects of this surgery are severe and often debilitating. These include bleeding after the operation, brain infection and abscess, dementia, epilepsy, intellectual impairment, disinhibition and inappropriate social behavior, apathy, incontinence, obesity, and a mortality rate of 2%. The film ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ accurately portrays one such side effect, showing a significant loss of autonomy and decision-making abilities in the patient.
My professors from my time as a student believed that the lobotomy typically led to a transformation from a vibrant, rebellious individual (such as Randle Patrick McMurphy) to a passive, often vacuous figure—this is a common depiction in the film. However, some argue that Moniz’s true contributions were in cerebral angiography, a procedure that uses imaging to visualize the blood vessels inside the brain, which is indeed an incredible scientific achievement.
Conclusion
The Nobel Prize is a beacon of scientific and humanitarian accomplishment, but it is not immune to scrutiny and dissent. Cases like Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize and Egas Moniz’s Nobel Prize for lobotomy highlight the potential misgivings in the selection process. These examples serve as stark reminders that even prestigious awards can be subject to criticism and re-evaluation as our understanding and ethical standards evolve.