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How Lobotomies Work

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Lobotomies -- brain surgeries to relieve psychiatric problems -- are rarely performed today, but they were once fairly common. Tune in to learn more about the controversial history and practice of lobotomies in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.

Full Transcript

Announcer:

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Josh:

Hey. And welcome to the podcast. It's called Stuff You Should Know. It's Josh and Chuck [inaudible] in Long Beach together. Now you know you're in trouble. What's up, Chuck?

Chuck:

How long have you been sitting on that one for the week? That's good.

Josh:

Thanks. Thank you, Chuck. How you doing?

Chuck:

I'm well, sir. You?

Josh:

Pretty good. I'm feeling great, actually, Chuck. I am glad to be alive. Yeah. So, Chuck?

Chuck:

Yes?

Josh:

I think this could arguably pan out to be our greatest podcast ever.

Chuck:

You just jinxed us.

Josh:

No. I really don't think so. Chuck did the cheek thing twice before this one.

Chuck:

True.

Josh:

He was kind enough to do it a second time, and I don't think we've ever had a topic that Chuck and I were more intensely interested in than this one.

Chuck:

I know. It kinda just came out of nowhere, and it's really - well, not out of nowhere because it's historical, but in our eyes out of nowhere.

Josh:

Which if you -

Chuck:

Funny I say in our eyes.

Josh:

Yeah. Little fore shadowing from Charles Bryant!

Chuck:

Yes.

Josh:

Nice one, Chuck. If you will get off of LOL Cats for a second and go check your iTunes, you'll find that the title of this one is How Lobotomies Work.

Chuck:

Yes.

Josh:

And that's what we're gonna be talking about are lobotomies.

Chuck:

So fascinating.

Josh:

It really is. Lobotomies kind of exist in this little segment of 20th century culture, medical madness, I guess you could say. Right?

Chuck:

Right. And pop culture because you still hear it being thrown around, like, boy, somebody lobotomize me. Scramble my brain, but it's kind of exactly the way it happened.

Josh:

Yeah. Yeah. So Chuck, you're a lover of great cinema. Right?

Chuck:

Of course.

Josh:

Of course, you've seen One Flew over the Coo Coo's Nest. Right?

Chuck:

I have a poster.

Josh:

You do?

Chuck:

Yeah, a good one.

Josh:

Yeah. The one of Jack Nichols, him laughing with the watch cap on!

Chuck:

Uh-huh.

Josh:

Yeah, that's a good one. So of course, you remember the - the pivotal scene of the movie where McMurphy is lobotomized for being unruly. He tries to kill Nurse Hatchet because -

Chuck:

Awful. Nurse Ratchet.

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