Editing Bilateral cingulotomy (section)

== History ==
Cingulotomy was introduced in the 1940s as an alternative to standard pre-frontal leucotomy/lobotomy in the hope of alleviating  symptoms of mental illness whilst reducing the undesirable effects of the standard operation (personality changes, etc.). It was suggested by American physiologist John Farquhar Fulton who, at a meeting of the Society of British Neurosurgeons in 1947, said "were it feasible, cingulotomy in man would seem an appropriate place for limited leucotomy". This was derived from the hypothesis of [[James Papez]] who thought that the cingulum was a major component of an anatomic circuit believed to play a significant role in emotion.<ref name="Corkin">S Corkin (1980) A prospective study of cingulotomy. In ES Valenstein (ed) ''The psychosurgery debate: scientific, legal, and ethical perspectives''. San Francisco, WH Freeman and Co: 164-204</ref> The first reports of the use of cingulotomy on psychiatric patients came from J le Beau in Paris, [[Hugh Cairns (surgeon)|Hugh Cairns]] in Oxford, and Kenneth Livingston in Oregon.<ref name="Corkin"/>