A squeamish subject to say the least, lobotomies and the subject of psycho-surgery and mental illness is not traditional reading material. When I picked up freelancer Jack El-Hai's The Lobotomist..., I thought it would be one person's experience with having a lobotomy as a result of mental illness. While that is tapped within the piece, what I found was an intriguing mix of history and biography in the life's practice of Dr. Walter Freeman.
A pioneer of psycho-surgery but a neurologist and psychiatrist by training, Freeman's specialization led him to St Elizabeth's Hospital and Fort Steilacroom, Pierce County, where he was able to almost-freely practice the underdeveloped sub-specialty psycho-surgery, the unique and highly criticized melding of psychology and surgery. The public's revulsion of such an unknown area followed by their lack of acceptance of the mentally ill led to hospitals overcrowded with patients that could not be reached emotionally much like the nation itself following WWII.
A pioneer of psycho-surgery but a neurologist and psychiatrist by training, Freeman's specialization led him to St Elizabeth's Hospital and Fort Steilacroom, Pierce County, where he was able to almost-freely practice the underdeveloped sub-specialty psycho-surgery, the unique and highly criticized melding of psychology and surgery. The public's revulsion of such an unknown area followed by their lack of acceptance of the mentally ill led to hospitals overcrowded with patients that could not be reached emotionally much like the nation itself following WWII.
While Freeman did began doing lobotomies using an ice pick, hammered into the eye socket and then into the brain, his passion and dedication to the oft-misunderstood field led to the fine-tuning and revision of his practice of psycho-surgery resulting in different types of lobotomies utilizing tools from ice picks to his invention, the leucotome and finally the orbitoclast. The controversial procedures were deemed successful by patients and their families. Patients that were once lethargic, combative, psychotic, schizophrenic, in varied states of catatonia or completely "not like themselves," were found, following their surgeries and extensive therapy, to be reading, writing, speaking, and living their lives as normally as to be expected. Some had negative results - Freeman's ill-fated lobotomy on John F. Kennedy's sister Rosemary-and few resulted in death.
As reported in The Seattle Times, author Jack El-Hai discovers within his research that "aside from Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, Walter Freeman ranks as the most scored physician of the twentieth century." Readers can both understand and wonder why when despite his best intentions, Freeman's procedures were highly controversial and occasionally thought to completely alter, rather than cure, his patients. El-Hai validates the readers emotions, okaying both the morbid curiosity and the sympathy and empathy for both Freeman and his patients. He details the state of the mentally ill in the nation during Freeman's time and why his perspective on their treatment was necessary.
The Lobotomist.., is not light reading, nor for the faint of heart or delicate of moods. It is a very informative and truly interesting read. El-Hai offers both the biographical and historical information needed to enjoy the book as a great non-fiction read. In fact, I found myself Googling "walter freeman" and "lobotomy" to find out more; I wanted to know more about Rosemary Kennedy and her mental illness, and more about mental illness in general.
OVERALL: The Lobotomist is an excellent, deep and strong read, highly recommended if only for the curiosity and interest in knowing something you didnt know before.
As reported in The Seattle Times, author Jack El-Hai discovers within his research that "aside from Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, Walter Freeman ranks as the most scored physician of the twentieth century." Readers can both understand and wonder why when despite his best intentions, Freeman's procedures were highly controversial and occasionally thought to completely alter, rather than cure, his patients. El-Hai validates the readers emotions, okaying both the morbid curiosity and the sympathy and empathy for both Freeman and his patients. He details the state of the mentally ill in the nation during Freeman's time and why his perspective on their treatment was necessary.
The Lobotomist.., is not light reading, nor for the faint of heart or delicate of moods. It is a very informative and truly interesting read. El-Hai offers both the biographical and historical information needed to enjoy the book as a great non-fiction read. In fact, I found myself Googling "walter freeman" and "lobotomy" to find out more; I wanted to know more about Rosemary Kennedy and her mental illness, and more about mental illness in general.
OVERALL: The Lobotomist is an excellent, deep and strong read, highly recommended if only for the curiosity and interest in knowing something you didnt know before.
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