Brain surgery to treat people with psychiatric illness was virtually abandoned half a century ago, but recent progress in neuroscience is igniting renewed interest in this field. [28:55 streaming audio broadcast]

Bryn Mawr student's paper about lobotomies.

Review of a Washington Post article about Walter Freeman.

Over the past two years, Howard Dully, 56, has worked to discover the story behind the procedure he received as a 12-year-old boy: a transorbital or ice-pick lobotomy. He interviews the son of the infamous doctor who did the procedure, examines his medical records, and talks to his dad about it. [22:49 in length, available via streaming audio or as mp3 file).

Very long scholarly article describing lobotomies, who got them, and why.

Explores the historical background of psychosurgery and discusses the anatomic and physiologic basis for such procedures. Guidelines for the appropriate selection of surgical candidates is presented and the four most common psychosurgical procedures practiced today are described. Finally, the overall experience including indications, results and complications for each procedure is reviewed and compared.

This website tells the stories of people affected by having lobotomies done to them and works to educate about the procedure.

Story taking a very pessimistic view of lobotomies.

Long article published in Brain and Mind Magazine, 1(2), June/August 1997.

Book review by a professor of psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.