Book · 2007 · Science
The Lobotomist
A Maverick Medical Genius and His Tragic Quest to Rid the World of Mental Illness
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Read a a couple of other books uh including something called The Lobotomist Letters, which is a fascinating It's it's very academic, so I wouldn't necessarily recommend it as light reading.
The best things said about it
I was working on an earlier book about another psychiatrist. That book's called The Lobotomist.
And the biography that that you draw on mostly is by Jack El-Hai, is that how you say it? That's correct.
Why people recommend it
The Lobotomist by Jack El-Hai is a biographical examination of Walter Freeman and the history of the lobotomy procedure. The book surfaced in several podcast discussions exploring historical research methods and psychiatric practices. On Breaking Points, Jack L. High noted that he worked on an earlier biography titled The Lobotomist while explaining the origins of his own historical research. Meanwhile, on EconTalk, Russ Roberts and guest Megan McArdle discussed the book when Roberts asked McArdle about the sources she used for her writing on historical psychiatric treatment, and McArdle confirmed she relied heavily on El-Hai's biography of Freeman. During the same EconTalk episode, McArdle also mentioned reading a related academic text, The Lobotomist Letters, noting that while it offered fascinating historical insight, it was heavily academic and not suited for casual reading. Through these discussions, the book was highlighted as a primary source for understanding the controversial history of lobotomies and the medical professionals who championed them, providing listeners and researchers with deep historical context into past psychological treatments and the biographical details of the figures involved in promoting them.
Every mention
Jack L. High I was working on an earlier book about another psychiatrist. That book's called The Lobotomist. 1
“I was working on an earlier book about another psychiatrist. That book's called The Lobotomist.”
Megan McArdle read a a couple of other books uh including something called The Lobotomist Letters, which is a fascinating… 1
“read a a couple of other books uh including something called The Lobotomist Letters, which is a fascinating It's it's very academic, so I wouldn't necessarily recommend it as light reading.”
Russ Roberts and the biography that that you draw on mostly is by Jack El-Hai, is that how you say it? That's correct. 1
“and the biography that that you draw on mostly is by Jack El-Hai, is that how you say it? That's correct.”
