Freeman 18951972, who more than any other man was responsible for the development and popularity of lobotomy as a treatment for certain brain disorders in the middle part of the 20th century. The author has researched the subject very extensively with over three hundred footnotes and six pages of bibliography. And so lobotomy, which offered the possibility of a relatively quick blunting of symptoms painlessly, compared with the shock treatments, was something. Nov 06, 2019 the full details of the case that makes up jack elhais latest investigative book, the lost brothers. He has been a contributor to the atlantic monthly, the washington post magazine, american heritage, and other publications. When we got jack elhais book, i thought it was very descriptive, both in terms of the process and the outcomes. The lobotomist, a biography of walter freeman by jack elhai the walter freeman james watts collection at george washington university an account of one of dr. A number of people appeared oncamera or acted as advisors and are listed below. Jack elhai has written an absorbing, unsettling and cautionary story of the man who sold the lowly ice pick as the surgical solution to the mental illness of tens of thousands of people. The lobotomist explores one of the darkest chapters of american medi. His new book and podcast, long lost on tpt, chronicle the familys seemingly endless. The author, a respected science journalist, started his research assuming that freeman was akin to josef mengele. A maverick medical genius and his tragic quest to rid the world of mental illness by jack elhai hoboken, new jersey.
Long, cleveland plain dealer one of the many virtues of elhais text is the rich detail he provides about freemans life and ideas. Its a good thing that a wellmannered, slowtoanger minnesotan wrote this book. The lobotomist by jack elhai, 9780470098301, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. A maverick medical genius and his tragic quest to rid the world of mental illness kindle edition by elhai, jack. He ends this book with a nuanced, haunted view of his subject with the lobotomist, elhai gives his readers a firstclass biography and, without saying so, a tutorial in the sober need for professional humility. Stories of vanished places minnesota, 2000 and the lobotomist. After reading the lobotomist by jack elhai, i realized that i would have a really good time hanging out with freeman. The production team would like to acknowledge jack elhais book the lobotomist. Jack elhai writer and author on history, medicine, science. Jack elhai, the lobotomist jack elhai offers a fascinating and thorough, though perhaps overly thorough, account of the life of dr.
Consult the further reading page for a list of more books and web sites related to the program the lobotomist. This book is a shocking look at walter freemans uninhibited war against. But author jack elhai lowers himself to the occasion. Jack elhai has written more than 500 articles and essays for the atlantic, scientific american mind, wired, american heritage, the history channel magazine, the washington post magazine, minnesota monthly, and many other publications. Freeman had been studying fellow psychiatrists who. Jack elhai is the president of the american society of journalists and a contributor to the atlantic monthly, the washington post magazine, american heritage, and other publications. But as jack elhai points out in this meticulously researched account, its extremely unlikely that frances was an accurate portrayal of the psychiatric treatment. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Minneapolis star tribune jack elhai faithfully propels us through the history of a company we all took for granted. Jack elhai is a widelypublished journalist who covers history, medicine, and science, and the author of the acclaimed book the lobotomist. He is a past winner of the minnesota book award and the. The reawakened interest in lobotomy is demonstrated by an editorial in the new england journal of medicine by barron h.
The lobotomist is the story of walter freeman, a maverick physician, who almost singlehandedly brought lobotomy to the united states and perpetuated its practice for decades. The full details of the case that makes up jack elhais latest investigative book, the lost brothers. Stories of vanished places, focus on corporate and organizational history. Drawing on freemans documents and interviews with freemans family, jack elhai takes a penetrating look at the life and work of this complex scientific genius. In the lobotomist, jack elhais lively biography,freeman comes across as a classic american type, a dogooder and a go.
Jack elhai, a past president of asja, is the author of the nazi and the psychiatrist publicaffairs, 20. Jack elhai is a freelance writer who specializes in historybased journalism. Walter freeman is revealed as a plodding careerist, says dylan evans dylan evans. With skill and grace, jack elhai lays bare the life and obsessions of one of the most controversial figures in american medical history. Jack elhai, author of the critically acclaimed book, the lobotomist, discusses the history of psychosurgery and the controversial life of neurologist dr. In the lobotomist, jack elhais lively biography, freeman comes across as a classic american type, a dogooder and a gogetter with a bit of the huckster thrown in. A maverick medical genius and his tragic quest to rid the world of mental illness by jack elhai 362pp, wiley. Consult the further reading page for a list of more books and web.
Oct 23, 20 still, the nazi book fits nicely with elhais the lobotomist, a tragic history of dr. A maverick medical genius and his tragic quest to rid the. Army psychiatrist and his secret evaluations of nazi leader hermann goring, jack elhai weaves a harrowing narrative that brilliantly probes the depths of evil. See the complete profile on linkedin and discover jacks connections. Jack elhai is a minneapolis author whose writing has been published in the atlantic, wired, gq, discover, scientific american mind, and minnesota monthly. Jack elhai writer, history researcher, and book author. Walter freeman, the subject of elhais previous book the lobotomist wiley, 2007. Walter freeman, who attempted to rid the world of mental illness through lobotomy. I researched my book the lobotomist, a biography of lobotomy developer and advocate walter freeman, m. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the lobotomist. Like most people, i thought he took out the actual frontal lobe of the brain. Elhais book succeeds as both an empathetic, nuanced portrait of one of americas most complex public figures and as a record of the cultural shifts that have occurred. Jack elhai is the author of many books and articles on medicine, science, and history.
In the lobotomist, jack elhais lively biography,freeman comes across as a classic american type, a dogooder and a gogetter with a bit of the huckster thrown in. How my article and book became a podcast asja confidential. Jack elhai, ghostwriter in minneapolis, united states. A familys decadeslong search, are wrapped in mystery. A maverick medical genius and his tragic quest to rid the world of mental illness and the forthcoming book the nazi and the psychiatrist. A maverick medical genius and his tragic quest to rid the world of mental illness, published by wiley. There were some points in the book that felt disjointed. The lobotomist explores one of the darkest chapters of american medicine. Jack elhai was interviewed about his book the lobotomist.
Freeman, and i had a vague idea about what a lobotomy was. His earlier books, such as celebrating tradition, building the future. Like everything else in this world, our choices are colored by the times we live in, and freeman was no different. Dave isay, awardwinning npr producer and macarthur fellow.
A maverick medical genius and his tragic quest to rid the world of mental illness. He has written about business and history for the atlantic, scientific american mind, history channel magazine, american heritage, and utne reader. Watch the lobotomist american experience official site pbs. Jack elhai, ghostwriter in minneapolis, united states reedsy.
Still, the nazi book fits nicely with elhais the lobotomist, a tragic history of dr. Ive talked to many people in our area who swear by the procedure when applied to their mothers and other relatives, while others cursed the procedure. The young researchers write to me because im the author of the lobotomist, a biography of the lobotomy advocate walter freeman. There is much information on the internet concerning this subject, and the best book on lobotomy is called the lobotomist by jack elhai. My book tells the story of the lobotomys development and sets the infamous procedure in the context of the history of psychiatric treatments and the life of its promoter. Walter freeman believed that the despair of psychiatric illness demanded a decisive, drastic remedy. Jack elhai is a writer of books and articles who specializes in covering medicine, science, and history. Freeman performed nearly 3,500 lobotomies and aside from the nazi doctor josef mengele. A maverick medical genius and his tragic quest to rid the world of mental illness by jack elhai at. Jack elhai talked about his book, the nazi and the psychiatrist. I still remember the dismay i felt when i turned up evidence that described how freeman and his fellow psychosurgeons considered race and gender when they decided whose brains they would cut and disrupt in their quest to treat. With the lobotomist, elhai gives his readers a firstclass biography and, without saying so, a tutorial in the sober need for professional humility. And that remedy was lobotomy, cutting the neural connections in the prefrontal regions of the brain, a practice that these days, writes jack elhai in the lobotomist, seems so obviously wrong. He teaches nonfiction in the mfa program in creative writing at augsburg college.
The subject matter is engrossing and, at least to me, poses the moral dilemma of whether or not, if in the same position as walter. He was the president of the american society of journalists and authors. His previous books include the acclaimed the nazi and the psychiatrist and the lobotomist as well as two books from the university of minnesota press, lost minnesota and nonstop. He is the winner of the june roth memorial award for medical journalism, as well as fellowships and grants from the mcknight foundation, the jerome foundation, and the center for arts criticism. The lobotomist by jack elhai can be recommended for its wealth of detailed information. I was particularly aggressive towards freemans ideas, especially after reading my lobotomy. Elhais narrative captures the pivotal business and political moves that allowed northwest to grow, while also spotlighting the characters and trends of the airlines history. He has written more than 500 articles and essays for the atlantic, scientific american mind, wired, american heritage, the history channel magazine, the washington post magazine, minnesota monthly, and many other publications. There are various ways to carry out a lobotomy, but one of.
Jack elhai investigates one of the darkest chapters in the history of psychiatry in the lobotomist. His new book and podcast, long lost on tpt, chronicle the familys seemingly endless search for the three missing boys. A turbulent history of northwest airlines university of minnesota press, 20, the lobotomist wiley, 2005. Vividly written and meticlously reseached, the lobotomist is a thoughtful and absorbing biography. I still remember the dismay i felt when i turned up evidence that described how freeman and his fellow psychosurgeons considered race and gender when they decided whose brains they would cut. The lobotomist goodreads meet your next favorite book. Watch the lobotomist american experience official site. At the start of this project, i didnt know anything about dr.
Jack elhai is an american journalist and author who focuses most of his work on the history of medicine, the history of science, and other historical topics. Seventyfive years of land olakes, clean and friendly for more than 25 years. A description of jack elhais book the lobotomist, including photos and critical. He has written more than 500 articles and essays for the atlantic, scientific american mind, wired, american heritage, the history channel magazine, the washington post magazine, the saturday evening post, and other publications. Stories of vanished places university of minnesota press, 2000. Kelley, and a fatal meeting of minds at the end november 17, 2005 the lobotomist.
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