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The Lobotomist: Walter Jackson Freeman II — Part 1: Ice Picks & Ego Trips
Aug 17, 2025 ·
19m 56s
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The Lobotomist: Walter Jackson Freeman II — Part 1: Ice Picks & Ego Trips
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Description
Explicit – surgery details The story of Walter J. Freeman II is as disturbing as it is bizarre. He pioneered the transorbital lobotomy, a radical and, to modern minds, barbaric...
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Explicit – surgery details
The story of Walter J. Freeman II is as disturbing as it is bizarre. He pioneered the transorbital lobotomy, a radical and, to modern minds, barbaric form of brain surgery. Freeman left behind him a trail of devastation – shattered lives and a body count that reached the hundreds. Yet it took the authorities two decades to come to their senses and stop him.
During those years, he worked with official approval at institutions across the United States. He even became a travelling sales-surgeon, peddling his procedure like snake oil, driving from state to state in a vehicle that came to be known as the 'lobotomobile'. His patients, which we would now call victims, included the rich and famous. Some gave consent. Others did not.
Until his death, Freeman insisted he had altruistic intentions. He wanted to cure the incurable with his ground-breaking surgical technique. He tried to send people back to their families the way they used to be, before mental illness took hold. That is the case for the defence. The prosecution alleges that Walter J. Freeman II was something darker. That his motives were far from selfless. That he was, in fact, a psycho killer of the first order.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/psycho-killer-shocking-true-crime-stories--5005712/support.
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The story of Walter J. Freeman II is as disturbing as it is bizarre. He pioneered the transorbital lobotomy, a radical and, to modern minds, barbaric form of brain surgery. Freeman left behind him a trail of devastation – shattered lives and a body count that reached the hundreds. Yet it took the authorities two decades to come to their senses and stop him.
During those years, he worked with official approval at institutions across the United States. He even became a travelling sales-surgeon, peddling his procedure like snake oil, driving from state to state in a vehicle that came to be known as the 'lobotomobile'. His patients, which we would now call victims, included the rich and famous. Some gave consent. Others did not.
Until his death, Freeman insisted he had altruistic intentions. He wanted to cure the incurable with his ground-breaking surgical technique. He tried to send people back to their families the way they used to be, before mental illness took hold. That is the case for the defence. The prosecution alleges that Walter J. Freeman II was something darker. That his motives were far from selfless. That he was, in fact, a psycho killer of the first order.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/psycho-killer-shocking-true-crime-stories--5005712/support.
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