The Rise and Fall of Lobotomy
The lobotomy is a controversial procedure whose story includes an unfortunate chapter in the history of George Washington Hospital.
The dark tale began in 1941 when Rosemary Kennedy, sister to future President John F. Kennedy, became a victim of this radical psychiatric surgery.
A Desperate Decision
Rosemary Kennedy was diagnosed with mental illness at the age of twenty-three. She had violent mood swings as well as seizures which were accompanied by aggressive behaviors that marked the end her ability to live a normal life.
Joseph Kennedy wanted his daughter Rosemary to be cured of her psychotic behavior hence he instructed for prefrontal lobotomy while Freeman was still working at GW.
The Legacy of Misery
Rosemary never recovered from this damaging operation. Freeman justified the postoperative outcome as an important step towards returning Rosemary’s health back to normal.
However, she went through lots of pain throughout her life. Thereafter, she was institutionalized until her death at age 86 in 2005.
GW’s Infamous Role
In the course of his 28-year stint at GWU, Freeman conducted over 3,400 lobotomies making it known as “the home of lobotomy.”
This invasive method lost its popularity due to its high failure rate and development of more humane psychiatric treatments.
Demand for Acknowledgment
Recently some students from GW have expressed their concern about being associated with such practices.
According to these students, G W has done nothing to acknowledge this dark past or take responsibility for it.
Furthermore, an Instagram account called “GW Lobotomies” requires G.W admit what happened, compensate those affected by the procedure and improve disabled services on campus; however, there is no reaction from the administration.
Freeman’s Pioneering but Controversial Role
Freeman joined GW in 1926 and made it famous because it was offering this treatment. Despite the emergence of more effective treatments, Freeman persisted in recommending lobotomies until he was forced to leave GW due to public pressure.
The Controversial Procedure
At first, lobotomies were believed to be a cure for serious mental diseases and were done quickly through the eye socket using an ice-pick technique developed by Freeman himself.
However, it soon became unpopular because of questionable obtainment of consent, medical reservations and arrival of alternative therapy programs.
Legacy of a Medical Controversy
The history of lobotomy forces those in medicine to think about the ethics behind experimental procedures and the need for patient agreement.
Today, lobotomies are still legally permissible in America though they have greatly declined and are now rarely carried out.
Facing the Past for a Better Future
The understanding of what happened during this time helps current medical professionals avoid making the same mistakes as their predecessors.
The memory of Freeman is still present on campus as it continues to generate discussions about ethics among students and professors.
However, all pictures representing him together with James Watts who was another figure associated with lobotomy have been removed from public view.
A Lesson for Future Generations
The history of lobotomies at GWU illustrates how irreversible outcomes can result from unchecked medical research thus emphasizing the need for ethical guidelines within healthcare.
This history is a call out to other institutions who must come clean on their past actions so that they can be able to stop such incidences from occurring in future.
Dark History at GW University Lobotomy: A Narrative on Ethics and Informed Consent in Medicine
The narrative surrounding lobotomies at George Washington University is disturbing and has caused a lot of controversy.
We will critically examine this story in order to inform people about the horrific happenings that took place during that period.
The ethical responsibilities within medicine are exemplified by this account, which reminds doctors about the importance of moral values and patients making decisions on their own with full knowledge.
Again, this ghostly history of such surgical practices only underlines the need for medical care to be patient-centered, stressing on the adherence to ethical rules and compassionate approaches among physicians.
