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 Democracy, Dictatorship, and Term Limits by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book Imperfect Creatures by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book The Most Noble of People by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book Term Limits in State Legislatures by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book From Revolution to War by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book Hazel Scott by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book Facing It by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book Defensive Internationalism by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book American Poetry in Performance by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book Dreams for Dead Bodies by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book Religion and Spanish Film by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book The Skin of Meaning by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book After Independence by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book Historical Metaphors and Mythical Realities by Jenell Johnson
Cover of the book Never Better! 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