The Anatomy of a Lobotomist

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Jack El-Hai is author of the 2005 book, THE LOBOTOMIST, the story of Dr. Walter Freeman, a maverick medical genius and his tragic quest to rid the world of mental illness. Jack El-Hai is the President of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, a winner of the June Roth Memorial Award for Medical Journalism and the recipient of both the British Medical Journalists’ Association’s annual Open Book Award for 2006 and a Minnesota Book Award. American Experience, the PBS documentary series, is currently producing a program based on the book. Medical schools and other institutions all over the country have invited El-Hai to speak about Freeman’s life and legacy. The New England Journal of Medicine has credited the book with igniting a resurgence of interest in the history of lobotomy and the life of Walter Freeman. A contributor to The Atlantic Monthly, The Washington Post Magazine, American Heritage, and numerous other publications, he lives in Minneapolis.