09/25/2025
In December 1960, twelve-year-old Howard Dully underwent one of the most controversial medical procedures of the 20th century: the transorbital lobotomy. His stepmother believed he suffered from schizophrenia, though few others agreed. Dr. Walter Freeman—known as the “father of the lobotomy”—carried out the surgery, with Howard’s father’s consent.
On December 16th, Howard was sedated with electroshock. Then, using a sharp tool called an orbitoclast, Freeman entered through each eye socket, breaking into the boy’s brain and “swirling” the instrument to sever connections in the frontal lobes. Howard awoke the next morning disoriented, feverish, and bruised. “I was like a zombie,” he later recalled, with no memory of the procedure that had just altered his life.
Although he survived, Howard’s childhood was shattered. He was removed from his family, spent years in institutions, group homes, and even prisons. He battled alcoholism, homelessness, and despair.
Decades later, in his 50s, Howard found the strength to confront his past. With NPR producer David Isay, he accessed Dr. Freeman’s archived notes and shared his story with the world. In 2007, he published My Lobotomy, a memoir that became a harrowing testament to human endurance.
Howard eventually built a steady life as a bus driver, husband, and father. But the question that haunted him remained:
“Why did my father let this happen?”
