American Experience

The Lobotomist Preview

Preview: Season 20 Episode 2 | 36s

In the 1940s Dr. Walter Freeman gained fame for perfecting the lobotomy, then hailed as a miracle cure for the severely mentally ill. But within a few years, lobotomy was labeled one of the most barbaric mistakes of modern medicine.

Aired: 02/28/09

Rating: TV-14

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