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Walter Freeman

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Walter Freeman
Walter Jackson Freeman II
Walter Jackson Freeman II (1895-1972), American neurologist, specialized in the lobotomy, which showed his devotion to helping the mentally ill. According to an article called “Walter Jackson Freeman II,” posted by the Birtanica Online Encyclopedia, between 1920 and 1930, Freeman attended different facilities to extend his view on mental illnesses: University of Pennsylvania, University of Pennsylvania’s on campus hospital, Europe, and Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital of Washington, D.C. He also worked at a “psychiatric institution” which was also located in Washington, D.C. (1). While in D.C., Freemen worked at George Washington University. As the Birtanica Online Encyclopedia states, he “was appointed a professor of neurology and chair of the neurology department.” There, he used different treatments for the mentally challenged: “oxygen therapy,” “chemical treatments,” and “electroshock therapy” (1). In 1936, Freeman altered a scientist’s method for treating the mentally ill, and named it the “lobotomy”. Walter continued on with his research for the lobotomy, making the procedure possible. After he perfected his research, Freeman, along with the help of James Watts, “performed the first prefrontal lobotomy” on September 14, 1936. Their patient was “a 63-year-old housewife,” as confirmed in the Birtanica Encyclopedia (2). Freeman went on to preform approximately 3,500 lobotomies throughout his career, 490 of which the patients died during the procedure. Although there was a minimum number of his patients that recovered fully from the lobotomy, Walter’s devotion to helping the mentally ill stayed strong (2).
Work Cited
“Freeman, Walter Jackson, II.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2013.



Cited: “Freeman, Walter Jackson, II.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2013. <http://www.original.search.eb.com/article-301506>.

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