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The Lobotomist: A Maverick Medical Genius and His Tragic Quest to Rid the World of Mental Illness
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 617.48092
EAN: 9780471232926
Edition: 1
ISBN: 0471232920
Label: Wiley
Manufacturer: Wiley
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 368
Publication Date: January 17, 2005
Publisher: Wiley
Studio: Wiley
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Editorial Review:
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.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Where did the lobotomy come from?
Excellent book. If history is your interest, you will not be able to put the book down. It puts a scary spin on what we allowed to transpire in the name of science when in reality we knew so little about the brain.
Rating: - Captivating: A Look into Chipping Away at the Mind
El-hai's The Lobotomist is an engaging read. He brings into light the grim world of psychiatrics and neurosurgery during the twentieth century. A vivid look into the disturbing mind of Walter Freeman, the man on a mission to chip away at insanity through experimental lobotomies. El-hai's book is a definite read for medical school students, as a reminder of what medicine used to mean and as a way to not repeat the mistakes done in the past. The Lobotomist is very well written, and is scary enough ... Read More
Rating:  - Very interesting but....
I had never heard of Dr. Freeman before and therefore was very interested in reading about him. However, this book does go on for a while. It tends to be quite repetitive in some places and just when you think you are going to go into another phase of his life, it backtracks. It is taking me a little to get thru it but, it is interesting all the same.
Rating: - One of the strangest, most engrossing books I've ever read
The Lobotomist by Jack El-Hai can be recommended for its wealth of detailed information. The author has researched the subject very extensively with over three hundred footnotes and six pages of bibliography. The subject matter is engrossing and, at least to me, poses the moral dilemma of whether or not, if in the same position as Walter Freeman, I would perform lobotomies.His results ranged from the disastrous to the miraculous. If one were faced with a life in an institution would one opt for psychosurgery? ... Read More
Rating: - Not a fan
Everyone seems to really like this book. I didn't. The story itself is interesting, but the book gets too bogged down in minute details that, at times, border on boring. Also - and this is just a matter of personal taste - I found that the man in the book was so arrogant that his arrogance actually distracted me from enjoying the book. The ethical issues addressed are interesting and disturbing.
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