Sunday, January 09, 2005

Lobotomy

I received this e-mail today:
Dear Dr. Rack, I thought you and the readers of your blog would be interested in my book The Lobotomist: A Maverick Medical Genius and His Tragic Quest to Rid the World of Mental Illness, a biography of the infamous psychosurgery pioneer Walter Freeman. Freeman was the neurologist who operated on Rosemary Kennedy, who died on January 7. My publisher, John Wiley & Sons, released the book last week. I began my research on Freeman in 1996 after meeting the family of a lobotomy patient. Over the years, I’ve focused my efforts on answering the questions of why Freeman, an undeniably brilliant and respected physician, felt drawn to lobotomy, and why he continued to stake his career on the procedure when better therapies became available in the 1950s. I found the answers in the grim psychiatric climate of his time and the complex mix of the strengths and weaknesses of his character. I’m the author of several previous books, as well as articles in The Atlantic Monthly, American Heritage, The Washington Post Magazine, The History Channel Magazine, and many other publications. In 2002 I received the June Roth Memorial Award for Medical Journalism. If you’d like to learn more about The Lobotomist, please get in touch with me at el-hai@lobotomist.com or check the book's website at http://lobotomist.com. Thanks, and I look forward to telling you more. Jack El-Hai ______________________ Jack El-Hai el-hai@lobotomist.com Author of The Lobotomist: A Maverick Medical Genius and His Tragic Quest to Rid the World of Mental Illness Just published by John Wiley & Sons http://lobotomist.com
Looks interesting

1 comment:

Allen said...

I got the same email, except addressed to me.

Drat, I thought I was special. Now I'm so depressed I need a lobotomy!

GruntDoc