NPR Story: "My lobotomy"

This is the first time since I have been keeping a blog where I posted a reaction to a story that was broadcast on National Public Radio. But, I must admit this story stirred some emotions in me and I felt a need, a venue if you will, to express those emotions. And the emotions focus on the fact that the man in this story had absolutely no control over what happened to him when he was a twelve year boy. And parents/step parents who abuse their authority over innocent children is one of my pet peeves. I'll try to elaborate.

The story, "The lobotomy: Howard Dully's Journey" allows Howard Dully, a man in his mid-fifties to recount his story of his transorbital or "ice-pick" lobotomy that was performed on him when he was twelve years old back in the early '60s. This was prior to the introduction of thorozine as a psychiatric medication. Dully serves as the narrator in this story. He embarks on an investigation as to why the lobotomy was necessary in the first place. His journey takes him through a discussion with a doctor who knew the doctor who performed the operation, an examination of his own medical file detailing why the lobotomy was necessary, and Howard talking with his father about the procedure.

It turns out that Howard's step-mother was the strong promoter of the procedure. Apparently, she did not like the ideas or attitudes that was coming from this twelve year old kid. She felt something had to be done. She managed to convince the boy's father that the lobotomy was the correct choice.

As I sat in my car in my driveway listening to the end of this story, my emotions got the better of me. I had to get my handkerchief out and wipe away some tears. An adult who assumes that kind of authority over a child just because they feel threatened by that child should not be a parent or step-parent in the first place.


It had been a long time that a feature story of any media stirred emotions in me. Yes, I know the peg of the story was the transorbital lobotomy procedure and its popular use prior to the introduction of the psychiatric drugs that are in vogue today. What humanized this story was Howard Dully getting the opportunity to tell his story and getting the opportunity to find out why the procedure was deemed necessary for him.