The Tulane electrical brain stimulation program a historical case study in medical ethics

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-1-2000

Abstract

In 1950 physicians at Tulane University School of Medicine began a program of research on the use of electrical brain stimulation that would span three decades and involve approximately 100 patients. Initially, electrical brain stimulation was used to treat of schizophrenia, but later it was applied to a variety of other conditions. Throughout its history the Tulane research was well publicized in both the professional and lay literature, and for almost twenty years, with rare exception, these accounts were laudatory. However, in the early 1970s this work began to draw sharp public criticism. Despite its public and controversial nature, the Tulane electrical brain stimulation program has received relatively little attention from historians. This review recounts the history of the Tulane program with particular emphasis on the ethical propriety of the work. Factors that shaped the historical context in which the Tulane experiments were conducted are discussed.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Journal of the History of the Neurosciences

First Page

262

Last Page

278

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