Howard Dully My Lobotomy Analysis

Exam 1: Option 1

Lobotomy is a word that we rarely hear at the present time in history. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case during the twentieth century. Overwhelmed by ambition and the search for fame, two gifted yet ruthless doctors presented an underdeveloped and untested neurosurgical procedure as an option to society whom was desperately seeking a cure and an answer to the extraordinary number of mentally ill. During this time, the belief shared by many doctors, patients, and families was that the results of lobotomy were seemingly perfect. Or that was what it seemed like on the surface. Today, lobotomy is a word that coincides with medical barbarism and is an exemplary instance of patient’s rights being invaded by the medical profession.
One such case that gained national attention from a radio broadcast, is that of Howard Dully, author of My Lobotomy, who at the tender age of 12 was made to endure this radical and invasive therapy in an attempt to tame his wild behavior and satisfy his stepmother.
Dully is one of the youngest recipients of the transorbital or “ice pick” lobotomy (Howard Dully) which was performed by Dr. Walter Freeman, a neurologist who was accredited in the field of psychosurgery. In hopes of finding a “cure” for her stepson, Lou sought the expertise of doctors and psychologists. All six of the psychiatrists that she consulted reported that Howard was a typical, normal boy. Out of those six, four of them even stated that she was the problem. (Grimes, 2007) Freeman on the other hand, came to the conclusion that Howard was schizophrenic and a prime candidate for lobotomy. Freeman began this permanent procedure first by giving Howard a few shocks of electro-shock in order to sedate him. The actual procedure only took approximately 10 minutes. In his clinical notes, Freeman wrote “I introduced the orbitoclasts under the eyelids 3 cm from the midline, aimed them parallel with the nose and drove them a depth of 5 cm,” then “pulled the handles laterally, and returned them halfway and drove them 2 cm deeper.” (Three Rivers Press, 2008) He then swirled the instrument around in a sort of eggbeater motion which severed the prefrontal cortex and underlying structures.(The Rise and Fall of Prefrontal
Lobotomy, 2007) Although the procedure was meant to leave Howard emotionless and more manageable, it failed to produce that outcome in the long run with Howard spending his teen years in mental institutions, his twenties in jail, and his thirties battling alcoholism and homelessness. Even more than the physical effect, the emotional pain that Howard suffered knowing that he was different and ultimately unaware of what exactly he had lost by having the surgery.(Swertlow, 2005) Ultimately, a great deal of damage was done to many during this brutal period and brought the problems of informed consent in the best interests of children and youth to the forefront. Almost 50 years later, doctors are astounded Howard’s level of cognitive functioning when the amount of damage that was done was seen through MRI’s. Even though his age is one that of the most controversial parts of his story, the doctors hypothesized that that exact factor is why he is able to have such remarkable cognitive functioning. Due to the fact that Howard’s brain was still growing, the parts that were left undamaged grew stronger and able to compensate, to some extent, for the parts that were. (Lemay, 2010)

By the 1950’s, lobotomies had generally been discredited and with the introduction of psychological drugs, the procedure was virtually abandoned by 1960. Even though this practice is no longer a leading form of psychosurgery, the unanswered questions regarding informed consent in the best interest of the child in question still remain and continue to haunt our medical history.

References

Grimes, William (2007), Spikes in the Brain and a Search for Answers. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/14/books/14book.html?_r=3&scp=1&sq=%22My%20Lobotomy%22&st=cse&oref=slogin&

Lemay, R. A. (2010). Review of ‘My lobotomy: A memoir (reprint edition)’. Ethical Human Psychology And Psychiatry: An International Journal Of Critical Inquiry, 12(1), 71-77.

Swertlow, F. (2005). THE STORY OF MY LOBOTOMY. People, 64(20), 85.
The Rise and Fall of Prefrontal Lobotomy. (2007) Retrieved February 25, 2013 from http://scienceblogs.com/neurophilosophy/2007/07/24/inventing-the-lobotomy/

Three Rivers Press, My Lobotomy By Howard Dully and Charles Fleming (2010). Psychiatry, Psychology, and Law. Vol 17, No 14, 607-609