Egas Moniz (Eduardo Santos e Silva)

Egas Moniz, born Eduardo Santos e Silva, was a Portuguese neurologist and neurosurgeon renowned for developing the prefrontal leucotomy, an early form of brain surgery intended to treat mental illnesses like depression and schizophrenia. His groundbreaking work aimed to alter brain activity to reduce symptoms, which led to significant controversy and ethical debates. In 1949, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for this contribution. While his techniques were pioneering, they are largely obsolete today due to advances in safer, more effective psychiatric treatments.