- Playing
- My Lobotomy
- From
- Sound Portraits
On January 17, 1946 a psychiatrist named Walter Freeman launched a radical new era in the treatment of mental illness in this country. On that day he performed the first-ever transorbital or "ice pick" lobotomy in his Washington, D.C. office. Freeman believed that mental illness was related to overactive emotions, and that by cutting the brain he cut away these feelings....
Freeman was equal part physician and showman and became a barnstorming crusader for the procedure. Before his death in 1972, he performed ice pick lobotomies on no less than 2500 patients in 23 states.
One of Freemen's youngest patients is today a 56-year old bus driver living in California. Over the past two years he has embarked on a quest to discover the story behind the procedure he received as a 12-year-old child.. A warning: some of the material broadcast in the following documentary may not be suitable for children.
More from Sound Portraits
The Ground We Lived On
(11:33)
From: Sound Portraits
Journalist Adrian Nicole LeBlanc faces mortality and loss in recordings she made during the last months of her father's life.
Bergen-Belsen
(03:49)
From: Sound Portraits
In 1945, the BBC broadcasted one reporter's description and field recording of a Shabbat service conducted on the grounds of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in the days ...
Tossing Away the Keys
(27:38)
From: Sound Portraits
Louisiana State Penitentiary inmate Wilbert Rideau's report on fellow inmates who are serving life terms without the possibility of parole.
Yiddish Radio Project Holiday Special, Hour two
(59:00)
From: Sound Portraits
Two self-contained hours of special programming based on the acclaimed ten-part ATC series, with a Web site filled with photos, features, background, and sound at ...
Yiddish Radio Project Holiday Special, Hour One
(58:59)
From: Sound Portraits
Two self-contained hours of special programming based on the acclaimed ten-part ATC series, with a Web site filled with photos, features, background, and sound at ...
Funding Spot:Tossing Away the Keys, with Dave Isay
(02:25)
From: Sound Portraits
Funding Spot:Tossing Away the Keys, with Dave Isay
Funding Spot: Witness to an Execution, with Terry Gross
(01:33)
From: Sound Portraits
Funding Spot: Witness to an Execution, with Terry Gross
Funding Spot: Vinney at the Sunshine Hotel, with Terry Gross
(01:34)
From: Sound Portraits
Funding Spot: Vinney at the Sunshine Hotel, with Terry Gross
Funding Spot: Nate at the Sunshine Hotel, with Terry Gross
(01:34)
From: Sound Portraits
Funding Spot: Nate at the Sunshine Hotel, with Terry Gross
The Sunshine Hotel
(36:19)
From: Sound Portraits
This is an audio portrait of one of the final vestiges of the Bowery, New York's notorious skid row.
Related Pieces
Piece Description
On January 17, 1946 a psychiatrist named Walter Freeman launched a radical new era in the treatment of mental illness in this country. On that day he performed the first-ever transorbital or "ice pick" lobotomy in his Washington, D.C. office. Freeman believed that mental illness was related to overactive emotions, and that by cutting the brain he cut away these feelings.... Freeman was equal part physician and showman and became a barnstorming crusader for the procedure. Before his death in 1972, he performed ice pick lobotomies on no less than 2500 patients in 23 states. One of Freemen's youngest patients is today a 56-year old bus driver living in California. Over the past two years he has embarked on a quest to discover the story behind the procedure he received as a 12-year-old child.. A warning: some of the material broadcast in the following documentary may not be suitable for children.
9 Comments
|
Review of My LobotomyIt was an excellent piece of work--I never knew someone could come out of a lobotomy without being a vegetable...what a blessing he could get his answers and find peace for his soul! |
|
|
Review of My LobotomyThis portrait of a man who got a lobotomy when he was 12 years old is disturbing and fascinating. Usually lobotomies are referred to in historical terms, "This is what happened, this is why they stopped performing them" and the story stops there. However, this piece looks at the lasting effects of this horrible practice to see what now, what has happened to the survivors? I love the contemporary view that this piece takes, as the man in the story reconstructs what happened to him and why. It's a terribly moving piece, culminating in a gorgeous song that encapsulates the mood expertly. |
Broadcast History
NPR, All Things Considered, 11/16/05
Transcript
MY LOBOTOMY
On January 17, 1946 a psychiatrist named Walter Freeman launched a radical new era in the treatment of mental illness in this country. On that day he performed the first-ever transorbital or "ice pick" lobotomy in his Washington DC office. Freeman believed that mental illness was related to overactive emotions, and that by cutting the brain he cut away these feelings....
Freeman was equal part physician and showman and became a barnstorming crusader for the procedure. Before his death in 1972, he performed ice pick lobotomies on no less than 2500 patients in 23 states.
One of Freemen's youngest patients is today a 56-year old bus driver living in California. Over the past two years he has embarked on a quest to discover the story behind the procedure he received as a 12-year-old child.. His story "My Lobotomy" was produced with Piya Kochhar and Dave Isay......
Read the full transcript
Musical Works
* Philip Glass, "Metamorphosis Two" (piano music by Aleck Karis)
* David Helfgott Plays Rachmaninov, "Mad Rush"
* Philip Glass, Dracula
Additional Files
Related Website
Of 15 purchasers of this piece...
- 8 also bought:The Sunshine Hotel (36:19)
- 7 also bought:
- 7 also bought:
HV013- Crossing Borders (54:00) - 7 also bought:
Dog's Dreams (07:42) - 6 also bought:
Rob Shinnick
Posted on December 17, 2009 at 01:43 AM | Permalink
Wow. Powerful.
I can see why this one caused a stir. It punched me in the gut. The somber, contemplative piano music fit well, too.