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© Bettmann/CORBIS Freeman operating at Western State Hospital, Washington State, in July 1949.

In the era before psychiatric drugs – when state institutions were over-flowing with mentally ill patients often living in snakepit conditions – hospitals, families, and the press were eager to embrace "miracle" cures like the "ice pick" lobotomy.

For over two decades, Freeman – equal parts physician and showman – became a barnstorming crusader for the procedure. He traveled in a van to 55 psychiatric hospitals across the country, performing and teaching the transorbital lobotomy

See two pages from Walter Freeman’s unpublished autobiography

Before his death in 1972,  he’d crossed and re-crossed the nation 11 times, and had performed the "ice pick" lobotomy on no less than 2500 patients in 23 states.

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This piece is available in the following audio formats [22:00 min]:
		MP3

		Transcript
		Intro
		Transorbital Lobotomy
		Howard Dully
		"My Lobotomy"

		Learn about Howard Dully's memoir, published in 2007 by Random House
		Howard's memoir on Amazon.com
		An interactive lobotomy timeline
		FAQ about lobotomies
		A childhood photo of Howard Dully
		A photo of Howard's step-mother, Lou
		More information about the "ice pick" lobotomy
		Audio extras from "My Lobotomy"
		Oral histories from patients and witnesses
		Photographs from Howard's journey
		Producers' Notes

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