Season 3: Episode 8: Lobotomy

Lobotomies. The medical procedure that somehow went from “this might help” to “why did we ever think this was okay?”

In this episode of Tumor Minutes, we break down one of the most controversial treatments in medical history. From Nobel Prize-winning beginnings with Egas Moniz to the cross-country “lobotomobile” era of Walter Freeman, this episode covers how lobotomies became popular and why they ultimately failed.

We also talk about real patient outcomes, including the tragic case of Rosemary Kennedy, and explore the ethical questions this chapter of medicine raises.

It is part history lesson, part reality check, and a reminder that “doing something” is not always better than doing nothing.