Long before cell phones, i pods, digital cameras, DVD's, x box, modern medicine and the internet, many people suffering from depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and even alcoholism were treated inhumanely by means of bizarre, unheard of experiments. We all know of the dreaded electroshock therapy, the mind bending pills, the straight jackets and the mental institution horror stories, but none are more appalling, and notorious as the lobotomy.
Howard Dully was only twelve years old in 1960 when his brain was given a classic "ice pick" lobotomy by Dr. Walter Freeman, the most well known doctor associated with lobotomies in America at the time. Freeman's lobotomies were often unsuccessful, performed with dirty tools that literally included an icepick. Basically, the icepick would be shoved into the top of your eye sockets until it reached your brain, where a doctor, or psychopath (whichever you prefer) decides to scramble your brains around for about ten minutes in order to reprogram your personality!!!
"My Lobotomy," written by Dully and co authored by Charles Fleming (
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307381277/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0307381269&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=14E2RTVQECTFECGFCF6B) is an in depth, first hand account of Dully's life, and offers an uncensored glimpse at the lunacy, savagery and incomprehensible tragedy that was on the brink of becoming a widespread, medically accepted treatment for the mentally ill. It is important to know that this book is not for everyone. The things that led up to Dully's lobotomy, and the aftershocks that echo throughout his life since then are often tragically unfair and undeniably sobering. Not only did I walk away from this book shaking my head in disbelief with a bit more education about past treatment for the mentally ill, I also walked away extremely grateful and happy that I didn't grow up in an era where I had to worry about things like that. Today, adults and children alike suffer from hyper attention disorders, anxiety, depression and schizophrenia and are prescribed medications that very well may be controversial but are nowhere near as blatantly brutal as giving someone a lobotomy.... with an ice pick.....by some nutbag doctor that has a hard on for scrambling brains...
