The Lobotomist
A Maverick Medical Genius and His Tragic Quest to Rid the World of Mental Illness

I came into contact with numerous failed lobotomy patients in the big mental hospitals of the 1970s, some were in a vegetated state, others displaying little or no emotion. For this reason alone, I read this critically. Initially, I became aware of what was not being said. The author pointed out tha......more

Insert metal icepick into eye socket, hammer through bone with mallet, move pick back and forth to severe connections to the frontal lobes. Repeat procedure other eye if necessary. Dr. Walter Freeman, neurologist, brought a new form of treatment for the mentally ill to the United States called leucot......more

so many bad things to say about this book... yes it was interesting, yes the life of freeman is fascinating. is it fun to try and get into his head, imagine his reasoning? yes. is it acceptable to go so far in "getting in his head" that you excuse his actions and border on idolizing him as an ideali......more

I wanted to like this book much more than I actually did. It was certainly interesting and I learned something about the history of trans-orbital lobotomies. However, I feel that this book takes unnecessary tangents into Freeman’s life that serve no part of the intended narrative. I suppose they’re......more

Die erste Biographie die ich gelesen habe :) Gefühlt Schriftgröße 4 und Zeilenabstand 0 beeinträchtigen das Lesevergnügen schon irgendwo. Insgesamt bin ich etwas überrascht wie gut es dem Autor gelungen ist Walter Freeman Menschlich darzustellen. Weit weg von der Horrorfigur, dem Dämon, zu welchem ihm......more