Peer-Review ReportNew Evidence of Prefrontal Lobotomy in the Last Months of the Illness of Eva Perón
Introduction
Eva Perón is a well known historic figure of the 20th century. Her untimely death at 33 years, at the peak of her power, caused great commotion in Argentina and throughout the world (Figure 1). The history of her final illness, treatment, and death was obscured by politics and shrouded in secrecy (7, 26). Professional discretion as mandated by the Hippocratic Oath was strictly enforced and her case was classified as a State Secret. Recently, more than a half century after her death, role players in her treatment and day-to-day life have begun to come forward and disclose details about it, including the procedures she underwent. The history of her illness has been marred by lies and deceit. Many of these stories, obtained in a mutually exclusive manner, chronicle a similar timeline of events and procedures that differ sharply from the official history (1, 3, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14, 18, 20, 27).
Section snippets
Disease and Death of Eva Perón
Eva Perón fell ill in January 1950. She was found to be anemic and underwent surgery for appendicitis by Dr. Oscar I. Ivanissevich, with negative findings, except for a palpable induration of her uterus. On August 31, 1951, she renounced the candidacy of her party to the vice presidency of Argentina, that was being offered to her by a roaring crowd of supporters, at a huge public rally. A few days later a biopsy done by a gynecology professor from the University of Córdoba, Dr. Humberto
The History of Prefrontal Lobotomy
Prefrontal lobotomy was used as a treatment of last choice for psychiatric disease as well as for intractable pain in 1952. Chlorpromazine (Thorazine) was approved for treatment of agitation and anxiety only in 1953 to 1954. Medical treatment of pain was inadequate and antidepressants still had to be developed (29). The procedure had been performed since the 1930s with the pioneering work of Egas Moniz and Pedro Almeida Lima in Portugal. Moniz received the 1949 Nobel Prize in Medicine and
Methods
To validate Dr. Udvarhelyi's claim that Eva Perón underwent a prefrontal lobotomy, his life and work were studied. As an aside, the authors of this article have recently written his biography (32). His declarations in interviews given to the Baltimore Sun were carefully reviewed and crosschecked with his unpublished memoirs (41, 42, 45). Both confirmed his involvement in Eva Perón's care, his presence at the University of Buenos Aires Neurosurgical Institute, the Costa Buero, and his role as
Results
Neurosurgery as a specialty in Argentina was pioneered at the beginning of the 20th century by two North American-trained surgeons, Drs. Manuel Balado and Ernesto Dowling. Balado, a disciple of Dr. Arce, trained under Dr. Adson at the Mayo Clinic from 1924 to 1926 (33). He was appointed professor of neurosurgery at the University of Buenos Aires and was able to accomplish a lot in his short life. He died at the age of 45 in 1942. He was followed as chief of neurosurgery at the Hospital de
Conclusion
Eva Perón suffered from excruciating intractable pain and increasing anxiety, agitation, and belligerence from metastatic uterine cancer at the end of her life. Based on our evidence, which supports statements made by Dr. George Udvarhelyi, a distinguished neurosurgeon who died in June 2010, it appears she underwent a prefrontal lobotomy in the last months of her illness in 1952. This top-secret surgical procedure, accepted then as treatment for those clinical indications, would have been
References (52)
The illness and death of Eva Perón: cancer, politics and secrecy
Lancet
(2000)- et al.
Prefrontal lobotomy: general impressions based on results in 470 patients subjected to this procedure
Surg Clin N Am
(1948) - et al.
Disrupting disordered neurocircuitry: treating refractory psychiatric illness with neuromodulation
Mayo Clin Proc
(2009) - et al.
George B. Udvarhelyi
Surg Neurol
(1985) Los “cien días” de Eva Perón
(1994)El caso Eva Perón
(1974)Interview of Dr. Jorge Albertelli
(May 21, 1994)Cancer pain: current status and future needs
- et al.
Eva Perón
(1970) La neurocirugía en Argentina
Archivos de Neurocirugía
(1944)
Los últimos días de Eva
The vital probe: my life as a brain surgeon
Interview of Dr. Abel CanónicoLa Nación
Diagnostic Imaging: Imaging helps solve mystery of Eva Peron's death
Mi hermana Evita
Eva Perón, la biografía
Interview of Nélida Domínguez De MiguelLa Nación
From Skulls to Brains
Prefrontal lobotomy; indications and contraindications
Arch Neurol Psychiat
Prefrontal lobotomy in the treatment of pain
Postgrad Med
Yo fui el confesor de Eva PerónConversaciones con el Padre Hernán Benítez
Surgery of the mind and mood: a mosaic of issues in time and evolution
Neurosurgery
Extraño peregrinar del cadáver de EvaLa Nación
A historical perspectiveThe rise and fall of prefrontal lobotomy
Adv Neurol
Bimedial lobotomy in the treatment of pain
Cited by (14)
Psychosurgery in the treatment of pain
2016, DouleursEvita's lobotomy
2015, Journal of Clinical NeuroscienceCitation Excerpt :On July 26, 1952, Eva Perón passed away at the age of 33 years, and at the peak of her power. For decades, the details of her medical illness and surgical treatments eluded the public [4]. We aim to explore the factors underlying the shroud of secrecy surrounding Eva Perón’s illness and lobotomy, including the regime of Peronism and the personality cult of Eva Perón, the social perceptions concerning disease in public figures, the growing ignominy of lobotomy for psychiatric indications, and a potential political conspiracy to decrease her belligerence through psychosurgery to avoid a divisive factional war.
James L. Poppen and surgery of the "seat of the soul": A contemporary perspective
2014, World NeurosurgeryCitation Excerpt :This plane passes just anterior to the frontal horns of the lateral ventricle, and sectioning along this plane would avoid damage to the vessels supplying the frontal lobe (Figure 2) (16, 22, 23). He almost certainly performed this procedure on Eva Péron of Argentina a few months before she died of metastatic cervical cancer (19). Only recently has it come to public knowledge that Eva Péron underwent this procedure, and even now, it has not been possible to absolutely confirm this fact.
Psychopharmacological interventions for co-occurring disorders
2023, Counseling Individuals With Co-Occurring Addictive and Mental Disorders: A Comprehensive ApproachMoral bioenhancement of psychopathic offenders. Technological and ethical aspects
2021, Politica Criminal
Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare that the article content was composed in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.