American Lobotomy

A Rhetorical History

Nonfiction, Health & Well Being, Psychology, History, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Disability
Cover of the book American Lobotomy by Jenell Johnson, University of Michigan Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jenell Johnson ISBN: 9780472120581
Publisher: University of Michigan Press Publication: January 13, 2015
Imprint: University of Michigan Press Language: English
Author: Jenell Johnson
ISBN: 9780472120581
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Publication: January 13, 2015
Imprint: University of Michigan Press
Language: English

American Lobotomy studies a wide variety of representations of lobotomy to offer a rhetorical history of one of the most infamous procedures in the history of medicine. The development of lobotomy in 1935 was heralded as a “miracle cure” that would empty the nation’s perennially blighted asylums. However, only twenty years later, lobotomists initially praised for their “therapeutic courage” were condemned for their barbarity, an image that has only soured in subsequent decades.  Johnson employs previously abandoned texts like science fiction, horror film, political polemics, and conspiracy theory to show how lobotomy’s entanglement with social and political narratives contributed to a powerful image of the operation that persists to this day. The book provocatively challenges the history of medicine, arguing that rhetorical history is crucial to understanding medical history. It offers a case study of how medicine accumulates meaning as it circulates in public culture and argues for the need to understand biomedicine as a culturally situated practice.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

American Lobotomy studies a wide variety of representations of lobotomy to offer a rhetorical history of one of the most infamous procedures in the history of medicine. The development of lobotomy in 1935 was heralded as a “miracle cure” that would empty the nation’s perennially blighted asylums. However, only twenty years later, lobotomists initially praised for their “therapeutic courage” were condemned for their barbarity, an image that has only soured in subsequent decades.  Johnson employs previously abandoned texts like science fiction, horror film, political polemics, and conspiracy theory to show how lobotomy’s entanglement with social and political narratives contributed to a powerful image of the operation that persists to this day. The book provocatively challenges the history of medicine, arguing that rhetorical history is crucial to understanding medical history. It offers a case study of how medicine accumulates meaning as it circulates in public culture and argues for the need to understand biomedicine as a culturally situated practice.

More books from University of Michigan Press

Cover of the book Trading Blocs by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book Religion and Spanish Film by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book Capitalism, Not Globalism by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book Quick by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book Ovid's Women of the Year by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book Paul Robeson and the Cold War Performance Complex by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book Character Is Destiny by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book The White Welfare State by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book Artaud and His Doubles by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book Stumbling Blocks Before the Blind by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book Taking It to the Bridge by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book The British Blues Network by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book Ethical Programs by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book Untimely Interventions by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book Speaking in Tongues by Jenell Johnson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy