Walter Jackson Freeman II (November 14, 1895 – May 31, 1972) was an American physician who specialized in lobotomy.
After experimenting with novel ways of performing these brain surgeries, Freeman formulated a new procedure called the transorbital lobotomy. This new procedure became known as the “icepick” lobotomy and was performed by inserting a metal pick into the corner of each eye-socket, hammering it through the thin bone there with a mallet, and moving it back and forth, severing the connections to the prefrontal cortex in the frontal lobes of the brain.
The procedure was done without anesthesia and instead ECT was used to induce a seizure,
Walter Freeman charged just $25 for each procedure that he performed. After four decades Freeman had personally performed as many as 4,000 lobotomy surgeries in 23 states, of which 2,500 used his ice-pick procedure despite the fact that he had no formal surgical training.
The procedure is no longer used but many medical students studying for the the USMLE Step 1 feel that the exam preparation has the same effect on their brains as the original procedure.