Howard Dully

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Howard Dully was, at 12 years of age, one of the youngest recipients of the transorbital or "ice-pick" lobotomy. This was a radical treatment for mental illness devised and performed by psychiatrist Walter Freeman. Freeman believed that mental illness could be cured by severing the part of the brain that he believed was the cause of overactive emotions.

Dully has taken over 40 years to recover from the surgery; he was institutionalized, incarcerated, and was eventually homeless and an alcoholic. After sobering up and getting a college degree, he became a tour bus driver in California. In his 50s, he started to research what had happened to him as a child, speaking with his family, relatives of other lobotomy patients, and relatives of Dr. Freeman, and gaining access to Freeman's archives.

Dully has now written a book about his experience called My Lobotomy, with the assistance of journalist Charles Fleming.

The Industrial Rock Band, Filter, Chose to have one of Howard's childhood photos placed on the cover of their debut album.

Bibliography

• Howard Dully, My Lobotomy, Crown. ISBN 0307381269

External links

• The History of Lobotomy
• 'My Lobotomy' Radio story
• 'My Lobotomy': Howard Dully's Journey