Friday, September 14, 2007

Lobotomy Memoir

Autobiographical story of man who was given a lobotomy when he was 12.

By his own admission, Howard was difficult. He stole, he lied, he broke rules. He was constantly in trouble at school. He smoked. Howard’s stepmother supplied a long list of complaints to Dr. Freeman, some serious, many trivial.

“Has monkey-like gestures and mannerisms — i.e., scratching head and body,” Dr. Freeman transcribed. “Won’t move when told time is short. Doesn’t use good judgment. Comprehension not good. Seems useless to convey reasons. Won’t do homework.”

Perfect reasons for a lobotomy. It's a good thing it is rarely used anymore.

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