Howard Dully
Encyclopedia
Howard Dully is one of the youngest recipients of the transorbital lobotomy
, a procedure performed on him when he was 12 years old. Dully received international attention in 2005, following the broadcasting of his story on National Public Radio. Subsequently, in 2007, he published a critically well-received memoir
, My Lobotomy, a story of the hardships of his lobotomy, co-authored by Charles Fleming
.
, California
, the eldest son of Rodney and June Louise Pierce Dully. Following the death of his mother from cancer
in 1954, Dully's father married single mother Shirley Lucille Hardin in 1955.
Neurologist
Walter Freeman had diagnosed Dully as suffering from childhood schizophrenia
since age 4, although numerous other medical and psychiatric professionals who had seen Dully did not detect a psychiatric disorder. In 1960, at 12 years of age, Dully was submitted by his father and stepmother for a trans-orbital lobotomy, performed by Freeman. During the procedure, a long, sharp instrument called a leucotome
was inserted through each of Dully's eye sockets 7 cm (2.75 inches) into his brain.
Dully took decades to recover from the surgery to the point where he could function in society; he was institutionalized for years as a juvenile (in Agnews State Hospital as a minor), transferred to Rancho Linda School in San Jose, CA (a school for children with behavior problems), incarcerated
, and was eventually homeless
and an alcoholic
. After sobering up and getting a college degree in computer information systems, he became a California state certified behind-the-wheel instructor for a school bus
company in San Jose, California
.
In his 50s, with the assistance of National Public Radio producer
David Isay, Dully started to research what had happened to him as a child, speaking with his family, relatives of other lobotomy patients, relatives of Dr. Freeman, and gaining access to Freeman's archives. Dully first related his story on a National Public Radio broadcast in 2005, prior to co-authoring a memoir published in 2007.
on NPR on November 16, 2005. According to USA Today
, the documentary, which The New York Times
describes as "celebrated", "created a firestorm". The broadcast, aired on All Things Considered
, drew more listener response than any other program that had ever aired, and by May 2006, the Crown Publishing Group
had negotiated worldwide rights to publish Dully's story in book form.
The book was critically well-received. The New York Times described it as "harrowing", "one of the saddest stories you'll ever read." USA Today called it "at once horrifying and inspiring". The San Francisco Chronicle
critiqued it as "a gruesome but compulsively readable tale, ultimately redemptive". In the United Kingdom
, The Observer
characterized the book as "a forceful account of his survival" that "sheds light on the man who subjected him to one of the most brutal surgical procedures in medical history". The Times
described it as "uncomfortable reading", noting that "[i]t is, given the circumstances, astonishingly free of rancour."
Lobotomy
Lobotomy "; τομή – tomē: "cut/slice") is a neurosurgical procedure, a form of psychosurgery, also known as a leukotomy or leucotomy . It consists of cutting the connections to and from the prefrontal cortex, the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain...
, a procedure performed on him when he was 12 years old. Dully received international attention in 2005, following the broadcasting of his story on National Public Radio. Subsequently, in 2007, he published a critically well-received memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
, My Lobotomy, a story of the hardships of his lobotomy, co-authored by Charles Fleming
Charles Fleming (author)
Charles Fleming is an American author. He is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School of Journalism, where he teaches entertainment reporting, arts reporting and news writing....
.
Biography
Dully was born on November 30, 1948, in OaklandOakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the eldest son of Rodney and June Louise Pierce Dully. Following the death of his mother from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 1954, Dully's father married single mother Shirley Lucille Hardin in 1955.
Neurologist
Neurologist
A neurologist is a physician who specializes in neurology, and is trained to investigate, or diagnose and treat neurological disorders.Neurology is the medical specialty related to the human nervous system. The nervous system encompasses the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. A specialist...
Walter Freeman had diagnosed Dully as suffering from childhood schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
since age 4, although numerous other medical and psychiatric professionals who had seen Dully did not detect a psychiatric disorder. In 1960, at 12 years of age, Dully was submitted by his father and stepmother for a trans-orbital lobotomy, performed by Freeman. During the procedure, a long, sharp instrument called a leucotome
Leucotome
A leucotome or McKenzie Leucotome is a surgical instrument used for performing leucotomies, lobotomies and other forms of psychosurgery.Invented by Canadian neurosurgeon Dr. Kenneth G...
was inserted through each of Dully's eye sockets 7 cm (2.75 inches) into his brain.
Dully took decades to recover from the surgery to the point where he could function in society; he was institutionalized for years as a juvenile (in Agnews State Hospital as a minor), transferred to Rancho Linda School in San Jose, CA (a school for children with behavior problems), incarcerated
Incarceration
Incarceration is the detention of a person in prison, typically as punishment for a crime .People are most commonly incarcerated upon suspicion or conviction of committing a crime, and different jurisdictions have differing laws governing the function of incarceration within a larger system of...
, and was eventually homeless
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
and an alcoholic
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. After sobering up and getting a college degree in computer information systems, he became a California state certified behind-the-wheel instructor for a school bus
School bus
A school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...
company in San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
.
In his 50s, with the assistance of National Public Radio producer
Radio producer
A radio producer oversees the making of a radio show. There are two main types of producer. An audio or creative producer and a content producer. Audio producers create sounds and audio specifically, content producers oversee and orchestrate a radio show or feature...
David Isay, Dully started to research what had happened to him as a child, speaking with his family, relatives of other lobotomy patients, relatives of Dr. Freeman, and gaining access to Freeman's archives. Dully first related his story on a National Public Radio broadcast in 2005, prior to co-authoring a memoir published in 2007.
National Public Radio
Isay broadcast Dully's search as a Sound Portraits documentaryDocumentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
on NPR on November 16, 2005. According to USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, the documentary, which The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
describes as "celebrated", "created a firestorm". The broadcast, aired on All Things Considered
All Things Considered
All Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
, drew more listener response than any other program that had ever aired, and by May 2006, the Crown Publishing Group
Crown Publishing Group
-External links:*...
had negotiated worldwide rights to publish Dully's story in book form.
Memoir
In 2007, Dully published My Lobotomy, a memoir co-authored by Charles Fleming. The memoir relates Dully's experiences as a child, the impact of the procedure on his life, his efforts as an adult to discover why the medically-unnecessary procedure was performed on him and the effect of the radio broadcast on his life.The book was critically well-received. The New York Times described it as "harrowing", "one of the saddest stories you'll ever read." USA Today called it "at once horrifying and inspiring". The San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
critiqued it as "a gruesome but compulsively readable tale, ultimately redemptive". In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
characterized the book as "a forceful account of his survival" that "sheds light on the man who subjected him to one of the most brutal surgical procedures in medical history". The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
described it as "uncomfortable reading", noting that "[i]t is, given the circumstances, astonishingly free of rancour."