Morbid

Episode 487: Walter Freeman

Aug 21, 2023

American neurologist Walter Freeman developed a non-surgical procedure for lobotomy called transorbital lobotomy. The podcast discusses the horror and indiscriminate use of lobotomy, explores the mother-child relationship, and explores Walter Freeman's academic struggles and career decision. It also covers the importance of frontal lobes, effects of lobotomy on patients, and varying outcomes of the surgical procedure for mental illnesses.

55:24

Episode guests

Walter Freeman

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Walter Freeman and James Watts refined the transorbital lobotomy procedure in the United States in the 1930s.

They believed in the potential of surgical alterations to correct undesirable behavior and saw the lobotomy as a potential cure for mental illness.

The first lobotomy performed by Freeman and Watts appeared to be a success, but also highlighted the need for refinement and improvement of the technique.

Deep dives

Development of the Transorbital Lobotomy

Walter Freeman and James Watts refined the transorbital lobotomy procedure in the United States in the 1930s. The lobotomy involved accessing the frontal lobes of the brain and severing neural connections to treat mental illnesses. Freeman and Watts believed in the organic and medical nature of mental illness and saw the procedure as a potential cure. They conducted experiments and performed the first lobotomy on a patient named Alice Hammond, noting some success but also negative side effects. They considered the procedure a success and began refining it further.

Introduction

3min

The Horror of Treatment and the Development of the Lobotomy Procedure

11min

Exploring the Mother-Child Relationship

6min

Walter Freeman's Academic Struggles and Career Decision

15min

Rocket Money: Simplifying Subscription Management and Lowering Bills

7min

The Importance of Frontal Lobes and the Consequences of Damage

7min

Effects of Lobotomy on Alice Hammond & Success of Emma Ager's Surgery

5min

Varying Outcomes of Surgical Procedure for Mental Illnesses

6min

Rosemary Kennedy and the Beginning of Walter Freeman's Career in Lobotomies

4min

When Portuguese neurologist Egas Moniz developed the lobotomy in 1935, it was little more than a crude surgery developed as a blanket treatment for mental illness that involved drilling into the skull and scrambling the neural connections in the frontal lobe. Less than a decade later, however, American neurologist Walter Jackson Freeman had refined Moniz’s procedure and developed a non-surgical procedure that could be performed in a doctor’s office, which he called a transorbital lobotomy. What he touted as successes, quickly turned into a series of life altering failures...but he kept going.

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