Post-lobotomy epilepsy illustrated by the story of Ellinor Hamsun, the daughter of the famous Norwegian author Knut Hamsun.

ABSTRACT

In Scandinavia, at least 11.500 people were lobotomized in the period 1939-1983. Beside grave personality changes, the surgery caused epilepsy in 10-35% of the patients. Moreover, many died due to perioperative bleedings, convulsive status epilepticus or SUDEP. Most of the stories of these people are anonymous and their post-lobotomy lives are scarcely documented. If it was not for the fact that Ellinor Hamsun (1916-1987) was the daughter of the famous Nobel Prize winning Norwegian author Knut Hamsun, her lobotomy story and the subsequent iatrogenic epilepsy would probably have remained unknown.