HM had a partial lobectomy, though, not a lobotomy. I think also relevant is the book _My Lobotomy_ told by the recipient of that lobotomy, Howard Dully. Dully tells a compelling story about being lobotomized without his knowledge as an adolescent. There is at least one npr interview of Dully and it’s fascinating to ask students to read (I generally have them read one chapter—Chapter 5) and then ask the students whether Dully is expressing justifiable outrage or whether Freeman was actually a good person wrongfully accused. I never thought about having them compare it with Scoville’s treatment of HM. Thought provoking idea, Joan, thanks. Carol
> On Sep 8, 2018, at 3:38 PM, Joan Warmbold <[email protected]> wrote: > > If this 2016 book has been discussed previously on tips, my apologies. I > don't recall such and found it to be of upmost interest and importance to > those of us who teach psychology. The author, Luke Dittrich, is the > grandson of one of the major practitioners of the lobotomy, Dr. Scoville. > In the process of writing this book he discovers that the surgery > performed on Molaison was a lobotomy performed by his grandfather. As he > notes, this is in contrast to the common impression circulated for many > decades that the operation on HM was a botched surgery performed by > well-meaning surgeons who were attempting simply to relieve HM of his > seizures. > > Dittrich claims that his grandfather likely knew the risks but felt he had > everything to gain and little to lose. As stated in a review in the > NYT's, "Dittrich’s righteous indictment of his own grandfather is > undeniably powerful. . . (and) by the middle of the 20th century,” Mr. > Dittrich writes, “the breaking of human brains was intentional, > premeditated, clinical.” This almost total lack of accountability within > the psychiatric community is baffling and infuriating. But I feel that a > similar state exists to this day regarding psychiatrists' diagnostic > process and their extensive reliance on medications as a form of > biological treatment which have been questioned by many. Who's watching > the store? > > The author also has some general criticism of how Henry was used as a > scientific subject and how his general state of mind was misrepresented as > being care-free and fairly content. Dittrich provides a quote of HM in > response to a questionnaire about his state of mind: "I feel that the > future is hopeless and that things cannot improve” and “I feel that I am a > complete failure as a person.” Those quotes eerily resemble those made by > two other men living with anterograde amnesia: Clive Wearing talking about > his life on you tube and "Jimmy's" reflections in the book by Oliver > Sacks, > The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. Whatever, for your interest, I > highly recommend the following review as well as an NPR interview. > > NYT's review of Patient H.M.: > https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/04/books/review/patient-h-m-luke-dittrich.html > > https://www.npr.org/2016/08/14/489997276/how-patient-h-m-and-his-lobotomy-contributed-to-understanding-memories > > > Also of interest to some though certainly controversial: > http://ahrp.org/patient-h-m-dark-roots-and-dubious-ethics-of-neuroscience-research-methods/ > > > Joan > Joan Warmbold Boggs > Professor of Psychology > Oakton Community College > > > > > > > > > >>> >>> END OF DIGEST >>> >>> --- >>> You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected] >>> To unsubscribe click here: >>> http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13534.4204dc3a11678c6b1d0be57cfe0a21b0&n=T&l=tips&o=52749 >>> or send a blank email to >>> leave-52749-13534.4204dc3a11678c6b1d0be57cfe0a2...@fsulist.frostburg.edu >> >> --- >> You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. >> To unsubscribe click here: >> http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=49240.d374d0c18780e492c3d2e63f91752d0d&n=T&l=tips&o=52752 >> or send a blank email to >> leave-52752-49240.d374d0c18780e492c3d2e63f91752...@fsulist.frostburg.edu > > > > --- > You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. > To unsubscribe click here: > http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=177920.a45340211ac7929163a0216244443341&n=T&l=tips&o=52753 > or send a blank email to > leave-52753-177920.a45340211ac7929163a0216244443...@fsulist.frostburg.edu --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=52754 or send a blank email to leave-52754-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
