Walter Jackson Freeman II By:Aleigh Helgerson

Walter Freeman’s Childhood Little Walter Wonder Why Born on November 14, 1895 Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Born into an affluent and strict family Was 1 of 7 kids Walter’s Sickness

Walter’s parents Walter Jackson Freeman Otolaryngologist doctor Shy, socially awkward, and humorless Regard emotional expressions as something strange and frightening due to his cold demeanor Family camping trips Corinne Keen Put effort into her kids Bedroom sofa

William Williams keen Brown University-1859 Jefferson Medical College-1860 Went to Paris and Berlin in 1862 Silas Weir Mitchell asked him to work at The Hospital for Diseases of the Nervous System Teaching career Was a well known surgeon in the Civil War Worked on: President Grover Cleveland Theodore Davelar Died in 1932, bedridden from a stroke

Education & Experiences Attended Yale in 1912 Struggled to find his way in his studies Became sick in his senior year of school Pennsylvania Medical School Graduated at the close of 1920 academic year Went to Europe for studies Private Practice

World War I Joined as a student doctor Medical Enlisted Reserve Corps (MERC) Joined at the end of his 1st year of medical school Own time of active duty arrived June 1918, Freeman was given the rank of sergeant Came back from a 2 week vacation, startled by Camp Dix bad shape Sept. 1918, left Camp Dix to resume medical studies

Continued Education Returned and found out University of Philadelphia closed due to the outbreak Worked at Medio-Chi Hospital of Philadelphia Lived in a dorm with other students serving as medical officers Became more interested in neurology So focused on neurology, was unaware of everything else Scheduled internship at the University Hospital of Philadelphia in 1921

Continued education Took position as Assistant Pathologist in the laboratories at Philadelphia General Hospital Went to Europe again for graduated training in neurology to become a specialist Mom and two youngest girls moved to France Got letter from Grandpa that stopped his extensive studies Madeline James

Research & Beliefs Believed there was biological explanation for depression, schizophrenia, and that surgical procedures could be done Schizophrenic Patients-Tubercolosis Paranoid Patients-Cancer Believed there was strong correlation between body measurements and mental illness Freeman experimented with mental treatments with different techniques Massive doses of insulin and metrazol Major convulsions Hit them with high levels of electroshock volts

Family life Marjorie Franklin November 3, 1924 Got pregnant the first night they were married Lorne-July 31, 1925 Walter and Franklin- January 30 and 31, 1927 Paul-February 23, 1928 Keen-1934 Died when he was 11 Randy-1936

Teaching Career & Moving forward Georgetown University U.S. Naval Medical School Facilities George Washington University Professor of neuropathology Was a hands on professor Neuropathology: The Anatomical Foundation of Nervous Diseases In 1930, Freeman began 8 years of work as a member of the Mental Health Commission of the District of Columbia

James Winston watts Teacher of neurosurgery at The University of Pennsylvania Hospital Freeman’s research In search for a neurosurgeon colleague Freeman and Watt’s connection Worked with Freeman until 1946 When the transorbital lobotomy was created by Freeman

The history of the lobotomy Both Egas Moniz and Freeman attended a lecture about damage of the frontal lobe Moniz began cutting parts of the frontal lobe and drilling holes in heads Used a tool called a leucotome to do the procedure Called the procedures a leucotomy Published his work

History of the lobotomy continue Freeman read Moniz’s publication Ordered a leuctome and performed the 1st leucotomy Drilled 6 holes in a 63 year old women with insomnia and hysteria Lived another 5 years Did 5 more in the next 6 weeks Re operated on 4 patients Changed the name to lobotomy Presented his findings at a Psychology Conference in Baltimore

Alice hood hammatt 63 year old Kansas patient, housewife Insomnia, anxiety, depression, and mental breakdowns Was very vain Freeman diagnosed her with agitated depression Exposed herself to neighbors and urinated on floors

Results of the Prefrontal Lobotomy Publication of Psychosurgery in 1942 623 prefrontal lobotomies 52%=Good 32%=Fair 13%=Poor Would reveal later that 15% were fatal cases Many patients had to relearn how to eat and go to the bathroom

Transorbital lobotomy Watts and Freeman’s work relationship ended 1st Transorbital Lobotomy-Ellen Ionesco (29) Concluded he could to cut both sides of the brain at the same time Began doing them in his office Lobotomobile-1952 Provided more exposure Deep Frontal Cut Was dissatisfied because this procedure wasn’t getting the recognition he thought it deserved

Move and Decline 1954-Left Washington D.C. for the West Coast 1950-1960-Compiled together follow-up reports of patients Late 1950’s and 60’s- Lobotomy began to decrease in fame 1967-Patient came in for deep frontal cut Colorectal Cancer Terminal Illness 1972-Death

Howard Dully One of Freeman’s patients Was 12 years old when he had the lobotomy December 15, 1960 Freeman believed Howard had mixed schizophrenia Didn’t tell Howard about the operation “I’ll never know what I lost in those 10 minutes with Freeman and his ice pick.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OdPxa_qbiQ

Freeman’s Legacy Known as a bad doctor but good teacher Tried to cut mental illness out Pushed the boundaries of ethically accepted medicine Famous or infamous of the puncture The Jiffy Spinal Tap Removed the 1st brain tumor with his fingers with no electric light Neuropathology: The Anatomical Foundation of Nervous Diseases

Discussion Questions How do you think society would handle it today if someone tried to perform a lobotomy? Do you think that Freeman would have accomplished more in the neurology field if he wasn’t so focused on the recognition that he received? Do you think Freeman would be different than any other doctor if he was more conservative with his work?