1. Walter Jackson Freeman II
By:Aleigh
Helgerson

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. Move and Decline 1954-Left Washington D.C. for the West Coast
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

19. 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.”

20. 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

21. 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?