Tag Archives: Freeman

“The Lobotomist” Now Online

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Long ago and far away (January 16, to be precise), I claimed that the PBS documentary on the leading U.S. lobotomist Walter Freeman would be made freely available online immediately after its television premier on January 21. This was based on information published on the PBS website. Come January 22, no online version of the video appeared.

Now, however, at long last, PBS has posted the documentary. Unfortunately, it is cut into tiny pieces, each between 2 and 7 minutes in length. Nevertheless, you can now see it in its entirety here.

PBS Documentary on Chief American Lobotomist

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The PBS series “American Experience” will broadcast an episode about America’s leading lobotomist, Walter J. Freeman, on Monday, January 21 at 9:00 pm. After that, the show will be made available on-line.

Freeman developed the transorbital lobotomy (often called the “ice-pick” lobotomy) in the 1930s at George Washington University as a “cure” for many types mental illness. He then relentlessly promoted his procedure, which was inflicted on nearly 3,000 people up into the 1960s. Continue reading PBS Documentary on Chief American Lobotomist →