Walter Freeman By Anna O’Hern

William Williams Keen Freeman was the first and favorite grandchild American physician President of the American Medical Association Freemans grandfather 4 daughters Corinne Keen Freeman Freeman was the first and favorite grandchild

Medical education was interrupted by the civil war Was a surgeon during the civil war Had many published works Fame made him wealthy after 1980 Annual income exceeded $30,000 Was only 5’2” so he had to stand on a box during surgery

Walter Jackson Freeman I Father to Walter Freeman II Born in 1860 in Beverly, New Jersey Parents led him to medicine Moderately successful Otolaryngologist Ear, nose, and throat Married Corinne Keen (Freeman) after completing medical school

Corinne Keen Freeman Walter Freemans mother Long after her death he confessed he had never loved his mother

Walter Jackson Freeman II Born November 14, 1895 First of 7 children Brothers: Richard, Norman, Jack, and William Sisters: Virginia and Dot Not close Around the time x-rays were discovered and the publication of Freuds book on hysteria

Poor health Was often unwell At 14 months old he had enlarged lymph nodes removed from his neck Permanent paralysis of the trapezius and sternomastoid muscles Droop of his shoulder and head Measles, scarlet fever, whooping cough, mumps and pink eye Was afraid of horses for reasons unknown to him

Childhood Full of questions Little Walter why why Shy and unathletic Found girls to be bothersome Didn’t start dating until medical school Took up photography at the age of 13

Education Attended Yale fall 1912 at age 16- struggled Awkward roommate Would have been interrupted by WWI Summer 1914 worked as an apprentice machinist Thought he wanted to be an engineer Struggled with descriptive geometry Graduated Yale in 1916 after deciding to study medicine 20 years old Good at chemistry

Work Neurologist Psychiatrist NOT a surgeon Aside from a Nazi doctor, freeman ranks as one of the most scorned physicians of the twentieth century

Family Had 4 children Defended their fathers legacy Walter, Frank, Paul, and Lorne Defended their fathers legacy

Previous procedures Leucotomy- cutting the neural connections in the prefrontal regions of the brain Consistency of cutting warm butter Leucotomies- surgical tool to cut the nerve fibers Lasted roughly an hour

James Watts Jan 19, 1904- Nov 15, 1994 Virginia Military Institute and University of Virginia School of Medicine Psychosurgery 2 books Rose Marie Kennedy Left Freeman

Discussion First thing you think of when you hear the word lobotomy?

First to preform one in the US Lobotomy Term coined by Freeman and James Watts Used to relieve psychiatric disorders Supposed to be the last option Thrived in the mainstream- late 1930s- mid 1950s First to preform one in the US George Washington hospital

Lobotomy Electric shock Ice picks Frontal lobe

Alice Hammatt September 1936 Before- agitated depression, uncontrollable apprehension, unable to sleep, laughed and cried hysterically Almost didn’t have the lobotomy because of her hair First lobotomy in the US After woke up from surgery was alert and active Didn’t feel any of her old fears

Lobotomobile Would travel around in his van and try to do as many lobotomies he could in a day Often had people watching him preform the lobotomies

Howard Dully interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1-aCbnc4fg&t=54s

Howard Dully 12 years old Didn’t know what had happened Because his mother wanted to control him In some ways lucky

Discussion Do you think we will ever be at the point of altering the brain again?

Transcranial magnetic stimulation Stimulation delivered through electrodes

Death Walter Freeman passed away May 31, 1972 Theory was discredited

Discussion Would you get a lobotomy if it were he last option knowing the side effects?