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

Jack El-Hai

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0471232920 ISBN 13: 9780471232926

Publisher: Wiley, 2005

Synopsis

The Lobotomist explores one of the darkest chapters of American medicine: the desperate attempt to treat the hundreds of thousands of psychiatric patients in need of help during the middle decades of the twentieth century. Into this crisis stepped Walter Freeman, M.D., who saw a solution in lobotomy, a brain operation intended to reduce the severity of psychotic symptoms. Drawing on Freeman’s documents and interviews with Freeman's family, Jack El-Hai takes a penetrating look at the life and work of this complex scientific genius.

The Lobotomist explores one of the darkest chapters of American medicine: the desperate attempt to treat the hundreds of thousands of psychiatric patients in need of help during the middle decades of the twentieth century. Into this crisis stepped Walter Freeman, M.D., who saw a solution in lobotomy, a brain operation intended to reduce the severity of psychotic symptoms. Although many patients did not benefit from the thousands of lobotomies Freeman performed, others believed their lobotomies changed them for the better. Drawing on a rich collection of documents Freeman left behind and interviews with Freeman's family, Jack El-Hai takes a penetrating look into the life of this complex scientific genius and traces the physician's fascinating life and work.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

Dr. Walter J. Freeman ranks as one of the most scorned physicians of the twentieth century, a man widely remembered as a loose cannon who worked beyond the boundaries of accepted medical practice to appease his own personal demons. The myths surrounding Freeman and the operation that made him famous—lobotomy—still persist today. Lobotomies turn people into human vegetables . . . Freeman lobotomized actress Frances Farmer . . . he carried a set of gold-plated ice picks . . . he lost his license to practice medicine . . . the list goes on.

Yet, many of the most important medical figures during Freeman's time lent their support to his work, effectively pulling lobotomy into the mainstream of medical practice. Many of Freeman's patients, some of them writing and speaking with astonishing clarity, observed how their lobotomies had changed them for the better. So how is it that both physicians and patients supported a procedure that today seems outrageous, even barbaric? And why did Freeman remain a forceful proponent of lobotomy even after most other physicians abandoned it in favor of newer forms of psychiatric treatment?

In The Lobotomist, Jack El-Hai examines these puzzling questions, taking a penetrating look into the life of a complex scientific genius who defies easy description. Drawing on the mountain of documents Freeman left in the wake of his half-century-long career—a treasure trove of books, articles, letters, journals, and memoirs—as well as interviews with Freeman's family, El-Hai presents a controversial view of this physician as a brilliant but flawed figure who, along with his partner, neurosurgeon James Watts, tried to rescue people once deemed incurable from permanent institutionalization.

Following Freeman during his childhood, his college years, and his growing fascination with the brain, El-Hai explores how the doctor became a rising star in neurology. He traces Freeman's wild journey as he refined and promoted lobotomy, which placed him in the middle of the long-running conflict between the biological and behavioral camps of psychiatry. El-Hai also provides a fascinating look at the evolution of psychiatric medicine through the eras of shock therapy, psychoanalysis, and pharmaceuticals. He reveals how Freeman's shadow looms over a new generation of physicians who practice today's psychiatric surgery—with better technology, a better understanding of the brain, and better ethical guidelines.

Intriguing, provoking, and at times unsettling, The Lobotomist is a unique take on the legacy of Dr. Freeman and his work, presenting a side of the story many have yet to hear.

From the Back Cover:

Advance Praise for the lobotomist

"This captivating book chronicles the life of a man who brought showmanship to science and touched the grey matter of a generation of mentally ill patients. Part genius, part maniac, Freeman changed forever the way we understand the link between mind and brain, and though his procedures are discredited, his biological approach to mental illness is ascendant. No history of modern psychiatry is complete without this story."
—Andrew Solomon, author of The Noonday Demon

"The moment Walter Freeman's gaze lands on an ice pick in his kitchen drawer, you know you're in for a rollicking ride. This is the biography not just of Walter Freeman but of the lobotomy, a procedure as bizarre and tragic and compelling as Freeman himself. Impressively researched and even-handed, El-Hai's book unravels the man inside the monster. A fascinating read."
—Mary Roach, author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

"Vividly written and meticulously researched, The Lobotomist is a thoughtful and absorbing biography. With skill and grace, Jack El-Hai lays bare the life and obsessions of one of the most controversial figures in American medical history. A terrific read!"
—Dave Isay, award-winning NPR Producer and MacArthur Fellow

"Notorious barely begins to describe the lobotomy, one of the most controversial medical procedures ever known. Jack El-Hai makes its rise understandable at last by bringing to life the complicated, all-too-human doctor who built his career on promoting the lobotomy. This is a lucid and thoughtful account of a remarkable chapter in the history of medicine."
—T. J. Stiles, author of Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War

About this edition

• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0471232920
• ISBN 13: 9780471232926
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 368