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AN ICE PICK AND A HAMMER WERE USED TO PERFORM LOBOTOMIES
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OKAY BACK FROM WEST VIRGINIA ⛰️
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THE FIRST TRANSORBITAL CASE 👁️
Walter Freeman Was A Neurologist And Not A Neurosurgeon
He Worked With A Neurosurgeon Partner Named James Watts
In 1936 They Did The First Prefrontal Lobotomy In The US
Their Operation Needed A Neurosurgeon And Other Personnel
So It Was Only Available At Large University Hospitals
Freeman Was Less Than Pleased With How Few Patients Had Surgery
He Wanted To Make Lobotomy A Far More Prolific Treatment
An Italian Doctor Named Amarro Fiamberti Had Devised Another Method
In 1937 Fiamberti Reached The Frontal Lobes Through The Eye Sockets
It Was Called The Transorbital Procedure
Freeman Began Experimenting With The Same Approach In 1945
He Said The Ice Pick Idea Came While He Cut Ice For A Drink
His Son Said The First Ice Pick Came From Their Kitchen Drawer
Freeman Tested The Idea On Grapefruit And On Cadavers
On January 17 1946 He Performed The First US Transorbital Lobotomy
The Patient Was A 29 Year Old Housewife
He Did It In His Office In Washington DC
Freeman Hoped Doctors Would Use It Widely On Hospitalized Patients
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A SMALL HAMMER AND AN ORBITOCLAST 🔨
Freeman Used A Thin Instrument Called An Orbitoclast
It Resembled An Ice Pick
Its Tip Was Placed Under The Eyelid
It Rested Against The Top Of The Eye Socket
A Small Hammer Drove It Through The Thin Bone Above The Eye Socket
From There It Entered The Brain
The Goal Was To Sever Prefrontal Connections To The Thalamus
A Medical Review Puts The Depth At 7 Centimeters
The Orbitoclast Reached That Depth At The Base Of The Frontal Lobes
Freeman Then Swept It 15 Degrees To The Side
According To Freeman No General Anesthetic Was Needed
He Also Said No Surgical Expertise Was Required
In His Office He Used Electroshock To Make Patients Unconscious
The Review Says Local Anesthesia Or Sedation Was Often Given
No Neurosurgeon Or Operating Room Was Needed Either
Freeman Usually Wore Neither Gloves Nor A Mask
He Was Less Than Diligent About Sterilizing His Equipment
Those Habits Were One Reason Watts Was Highly Critical
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FREEMAN TOURED STATE HOSPITALS ⏱️
Watts Was Disgusted That The Lobotomy Became An Office Procedure
The Lack Of Sterile Technique Disenchanted Him
So Did The Crudity Of The Operation
The Neurosurgical Establishment Was Antagonized Too
Many Physicians Became Disappointed With The Method's Results
Some Patients Developed Complications Or Died
The Same Review Says The Majority Of Patients Improved
Freeman And Watts Parted And Went Separate Ways
In The Review's Words He Became A Relentless Crusader
He Traveled To State Hospitals Across The Nation
There He Performed And Taught The Transorbital Lobotomy
Most Of Those Operations Were Free Demonstrations
He Did This Despite Having No Formal Surgical Training
In July 1952 He Went To West Virginia
The State Was Sponsoring A Lobotomy Project There
By NPR's Count He Performed 228 Transorbital Lobotomies
All Of Them Were Done Within Two Weeks
Newspapers Called It Operation Ice Pick
