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Transcribed
The Lobotomist – Part 2: Power, Damage & Denial
Aug 24, 2025 ·
16m 32s
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The Lobotomist – Part 2: Power, Damage & Denial
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Description
Explicit – contains surgery details. Walter J. Freeman II thought he was a revolutionary. And in a way, he was. He operated during three revolutionary decades of the twentieth century...
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Explicit – contains surgery details.
Walter J. Freeman II thought he was a revolutionary. And in a way, he was. He operated during three revolutionary decades of the twentieth century – years that saw the coming of nuclear power, antibiotics and mankind's first tentative steps into space. But his technique was more medieval than post-modern. The cutting edge of his trademark instrument was the point of an icepick – or at least, a wicked-looking tool derived from one. Yet, here was an individual who convinced himself he was doing humanity a service, while all around, patients were wheeled away on gurneys with their humanity neutralised.
Was Freeman mad, bad, psychopathic... or just deluded? And where does the dividing line fall that separates those traits? Indeed, can they be separated, or do they seep into each other, like blood seeping into bandages, until all we see is crimson? The red mist of a horror too awful to comprehend – a physician sworn to not harm, acting with official sanction in a way that no physician should.
In the second part of The Lobotomist, we answer that question as dispassionately as we can, despite the trail of bodies and tortured souls the good doctor left in his wake. What tools do we have to comprehend the incomprehensible paradox of Walter J. Freeman II? Was he well-meaning, misguided, or something much darker? Ladies and gentlemen, take your seats, because the jury is in.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/psycho-killer-shocking-true-crime-stories--5005712/support.
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Walter J. Freeman II thought he was a revolutionary. And in a way, he was. He operated during three revolutionary decades of the twentieth century – years that saw the coming of nuclear power, antibiotics and mankind's first tentative steps into space. But his technique was more medieval than post-modern. The cutting edge of his trademark instrument was the point of an icepick – or at least, a wicked-looking tool derived from one. Yet, here was an individual who convinced himself he was doing humanity a service, while all around, patients were wheeled away on gurneys with their humanity neutralised.
Was Freeman mad, bad, psychopathic... or just deluded? And where does the dividing line fall that separates those traits? Indeed, can they be separated, or do they seep into each other, like blood seeping into bandages, until all we see is crimson? The red mist of a horror too awful to comprehend – a physician sworn to not harm, acting with official sanction in a way that no physician should.
In the second part of The Lobotomist, we answer that question as dispassionately as we can, despite the trail of bodies and tortured souls the good doctor left in his wake. What tools do we have to comprehend the incomprehensible paradox of Walter J. Freeman II? Was he well-meaning, misguided, or something much darker? Ladies and gentlemen, take your seats, because the jury is in.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/psycho-killer-shocking-true-crime-stories--5005712/support.
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