There was a typo on the video so I blurred it. Please skip to 15:16 if you find brain surgery icky. Sorry about that xxx

My great-aunt had a lobotomy because she fell in love with a man from Africa and her family disapproved. Her parents were very rich and influential and she was sent to a "sanitorium" and lobotomized for it. Afterwards, she was wheelchair-bound and the only words she could say afterwards were the names of her family members. The ones who did that horrible thing to her. They abandoned her to die alone in an institution. This is why we need to remember our past, so we do not repeat it.

That doctor was a monster. He even lobotomized children who were deemed “difficult to handle” by their parents.

I'm autistic, and when people yearn for the "old days", I tell them about what happened to Rosemarie Kennedy.

What happened to that poor woman is a horror story.

This is so incredibly sad. She could have carried on teaching and lived a happy life if that barbarous man hadn’t have hacked away at her brain.

I have Borderline Personality Disorder. Rosemary Kennedy's story scares me because I know how easy it is for my feelings, worries and fears to be dismissed and silenced because I live with a severe and disabling mental illness. If I am being abused or treated badly, there is a chance I won't have a say in what happens to me. And less than a century ago, I very likely would have had my brain mutilated because my emotions were too much for society to handle.

Who hears about a procedure that involves shoving an icepick into someone's brain and severing the connections between lobes of the brain and go "that sounds like a great idea"?

One of New Zealands most reknown authors - Janet Frame - was saved at the last minute from a lobotomy when it was discovered she had just won a major literary prize!

I am a history nerd. I have read a lot about the Kennedy's. It's a shame how Rosemary was "hidden away". It's shameful what was done to the disabled back in those days. We have made huge strides in this area. But mental illness still has a stigma attached to it today.

My uncle is mentally disabled due to difficulty during childbirth. Ironically, he is also a Kennedy. I believe his symptoms are very similar to Rosemary as oxygen was cut off to his brain during my grandmother's delivery. I am so grateful that my grandparents were not embarrassed by him. He was born in the 1950s and my Grandparents took care of him until they passed away. He is a beloved part of our family and has a brilliant memory. We treat him like we would any other person. Rosemary's story has always broken my heart as her condition is so similar to my uncle. She could have thrived if they gave her love and support instead of hiding her away and trying to "correct" her.

When I worked in a carehome about 17-18 years ago, we had two people that had been lobotomized after WW2. One man and one woman, both in their 90s. Both of them had the full use of their bodies, could walk and take care of themselves (more than most people in their 90s), but had limited language. But it truly was like they were not there. A body without whatever it is that makes you human. There was no emotions at all. The only thing I experienced, similar to emotion, was a stress reaction to a routine not being followed. But it was also in a strangly absent way. She froze and refused to do anything. As soon as things was done as normal, she went back to being calm. I remember feeling so much anger that they could treat people like that, for having traumas. We did our best, to make the end of their lifes meaningful and comfortable. I don't know how they experienced things, as it is very difficult to tell. But I hope they at least felt comfort, if nothing else.

This is horrifying. As someone with autism, I was a little behind my classmates in certain areas. I do not know why people treated people like me in such away. 😔

Suggestion for your next historical profile: Louisa May Alcott or Alan Turing. They were both very talented LBGT people who saw incredibly cruel treatment.

I was born almost 38 years ago (not the 1920's), with Spina Bifida. The doctors told my mother that i'd never be independent in any meaningful way and advised her to institutionalize me. nearly 38 years later and ive done everything so far that the drs said I wouldn't be able to & am a national champion athlete.

How traumatic to have your first experience of entering the world, trying to be born, be literally forcefully halted by someone and having it be because of your family. A newborn doesn’t remember explicitly ofc but the body and parts of the brain remembers :( Thanks for covering this, Jessica! I’m American and I had no idea.

To anyone who doesn't know if they should watch this after the warnings: Although this is of course a well researched and greatly presented video, like we know of Jessica, you definitely need to be in the right head space for this. Maybe bookmark it for later for a time when you feel like you can handle heavy real life information that might hit closer to home than you'd expect.

Rosemary sister Eunice started the special Olympics in honor of her sister. Something good, unfortunately from tragedy Oh, her husband Colonel Shriver started the peace corps.

Brilliant. Historically accurate and socially aware. Discovered you through Anthony Padilla. So glad I did.

It kills me to know that all she ever needed was a little support, yet she was forced to endure a horrible surgery. If she had just continued studying at a supportive school she would have thrived. I'm so glad we don't trust these surgeries today, and we're beginning to be more open about mental and learning disabilities, though we still have a long way to go. Also, I was never taught about her in school. I learned about her when I read an article about the special Olympics, which mentioned the founder's sister was mentally disabled, but I had no idea she was disabled due to a lobotomy. I'm glad her family started speaking out about disabilities though. Also, I had no idea Eunice's son started Best Buddies, I know all about that organization

And this is why I’m doing Learning Disabilities Nursing, unnecessary and avoidable healthcare inequalities drive me to keep going when it gets hard

This "Dr" Freedman reminded me of something I read a few years back. Which lead me down a rabbit hole. It turns out, several "drs" in my area where, infact, not doctors at all. Some where failed med students, others simple read medical books and fancied themselves doctors. What's shocking is that they were able to open surgeries, "treat" patients, and amass millions of dollars/pounds etc before they were caught. I believed a dr had to earn the position, the title but, apparently, you can pay for it and sing and dance your way into it. My heart goes out to Rosemary Kennedy. To everyone. Heres to hoping for a better future. A human future.

How disgusting, all for the sake of the “family name” & political ambitions for other Kennedy siblings. Extremely sad. 😰

I wrote my thesis about Rosemary five years ago, so I'm always thrilled to See more People learn about her and her story!! Thank you for making These Videos!!

As someone who is mentally ill, the history of the lobotomy has always held a dark intrigue. While curious about the history of the procedure, I was also obviously horrified. I knew some stuff about Rosemary Kennedy going into this video but certainly not that she was deprived of oxygen during her birth. If I know anything from Call the Midwife, that is INSANELY dangerous. This video, while not exactly fun, was very interesting and informative; thanks for it. As regards future videos, I'd love some background on the ADA or a comparison of protections for disabled people in the US and UK. I went to London four years ago and I was AGHAST at the lack of accessibility on public transportation. "Lifts" were barely operational on the tube and the whole "mind the gap" thing made it seem like it would be IMPOSSIBLE to get around with a mobility aid. I hope you and Claudia and Walter and Tilly are staying safe!

The way Rosemary was described as never leaving home without family struck a nerve. Although we’ve never lobotomized my sister, who has Down Syndrome, she does mostly only leave the house with family members. She used to have activities outside our home, but due to COVID 19, she is only able to have those activities through Zoom meetings, which has really limited her access to the outside world. I wish we could go back to pre-COVID days so that she would have that access to activities and friends outside our house. She misses her singing classes and her field trips to bowling alleys.

As an autistic woman, this is one of the many reasons why I wouldn't want to go back into the past if I had a time machine (well...outside of maybe ancient Egypt). Treatment of disabled people back in the day was horrible. I was born during that weird gap between Millenial and Zoomer. And if I lived even 70 years ago, I could've suffered the same fate as her, which is horrifying to think about. I'm pretty thankful I live in a time period where I can get proper aid, and live a normal life. We've came a long way since then. Rosemary's story is super tragic as well. If she was a Millennial or Zoomer, she could've gotten better aid for her condition and became a wonderful teacher. But because she was born in the turn of the century when mental illnesses weren't understood, this was the outcome. I almost think it's worse that she lived to old age, since she was forever trapped in a body of a vegetable. But on the plus side, her family created a lot of organizations for disabled people in her memory, so that's good.

my mother had 18 shock treatments by my fathers ok because she found out his abuse of my sister and I and was going to tell his commanding officers. in the late 60's

Stomach-turning, heart-wrenching, and expertly told. Thank you. I now have much better context for my grandparents' outright terror of psychological/psychiatric care

I had no idea about Rosemary Kennedy. Poor girl, Montessori is wonderful, I wish she could've stayed there. Lobotomies are truly horrifying.

Rosemary’s story is so devastating, I always forget that she lived such a long life.

This so sad. I knew about her existence and that she was given a labotomy, but I didn't know she was still alive when I was little...

Jessica, will you please please do a story on Rose Wilder Lane? She's a relative of mine and I'll be happy to fill any blanks I can if you need me to. Much is on the internet about her. She was a real trailblazer in virtually every way. I think you'd be fascinated by her. She had a million and one facets to her and her mother was Laura Ingalls Wilder of Little House on the Prairie fame. Could make for a very rich historical vlog about a woman with a strong mind, courageous heart and pioneering spirit. She fought a lot of stigmas and was a real groundbreaker far beyond her time. I would LOVE it if you would and I think you'd enjoy researching her immensely.

"genetic accident" ME edit: just finished the video, its so sad and scary to think about how mentally disabled people were treated in the past. im autistic and have adhd, i most likely wouldnt have been lobotomised in the 30s but i probably couldve been institutionalised. im so grateful i live in a time when so much progress has been made, but we still have a long way to go.

i have a neurological disorder in my brain i,m willing to work for my dream . but people well people treat me like i cant handle myself but what i really wanted to say is you inspire me to do better and be better .

I read The Kennedy Women in the the 1990's and I remember getting so angry when reading about Rosemary Kennedy. She really got the short end of the stick.

Anybody who believes the fairy tale of the Kennedy’s needs to take a history class.

This is such a horrific story but it’s important and needs to be told. Thank you for sharing Jessica.

This reminds me of disappointments rooms where families often of some renown would lock mentally or physically disabled children away from sight. Often in attics. Horrific.

This made me cry, I knew very vaguely about her being lobotomized but this is an absolute horror story. I'm so glad that at least some good was able to come of what happened but she never should have been put through it.

I do not believe in a literal Hell. But if anyone deserves to go to one, "doctor" Freeman is the one.

so early wow. and it's so sad- I LIVE in america and had never heard of rosemary kennedy before. i had heard idk "rumours" that there was a mentally ill sibling, but that was the extent. thank you for bringing more awareness and ending the stigma!

This is so sad :'( she deserved dignity and respect and instead was abandoned. May she rest in peace.

Thank you for this video. As a young child I was quite interested in JFK and his family. I read a biography about the family and asked my dad about the one sister who was just not mentioned much. My dad told me a doctor did a questionable surgery and it made her very ill. I was about 8, and we talked about mental health. Now I wonder how he knew this and he knew more he wouldn't talk about. This video helped fill in the gaps.

as an autistic person who is obsessed with history, its always horrifying to imagine the suffering so many people have to endure before prominent people decide it's time to do something about it

This is the saddest thing I’ve ever watched. Although I knew of Rose Kennedy being hidden away and I’d heard that she had a lobotomy; I didn’t know the story of her birth and horrors of being awake during a surgery. It’s so sad how she was treated, when all she ever wanted was to be with her family. Thank you for doing such an amazing job on this video Jessica.

My mom was a special Ed teacher (I don't know how it is known as in English) and I went to the same middle school she worked at, so I'd spend my free time helping her in her class, and since I can remember I've been around people with disabilities. Cognitive, physical or psychosocial, and just being there taught me so much. It really hurts to listen to stories like this, when you know that the disabilities someone has aren't all they are.

I was literally in tears at the end. And tears are still running down my face as I am typing this. It breaks my heart that while a lot of things have changed, at the same time there are so many changes that still need to be made....

This makes me grateful for how my great-grandparents and grandparents viewed disabilities. I know both of my grandparents had siblings with intellectual disabilities, but they were just seen as needing extra help so that they can contribute to society. In fact, my grandmother's brother was perfectly able and happy to mow lawns, but was unable to fix lawnmowers. When he walked into the motor shop to try to get the parts to fix his lawnmower, my grandfather recognized this and he offered to fix it for him (for free on his own time). Later, he happened to meet my grandmother and, when she realized that she was the man who worked at the shop her brother told her about, she started to fall for him. For reference, my grandfather's oldest sibling was born in 1900, so this would have overlapped in time with the events in this video. In the late 1950s, my grandparents ended up having a very disabled daughter (her mind apparently didn't progress much past early toddlerhood). They hated the idea of sending her to an institution, but they realized they needed some more expertise. The institution was nice... for an institution, but my grandmother hated that it felt like a hospital and not a home. She worked with other families in similar situations to found a non-profit which buys accessible houses and pays for carers to stay there and allow people, who otherwise may have only been able to live in an institutional setting, to live in somewhere that feels like home with people who feel like family for long after their primary caregivers may have passed away. Visiting my aunt has always been an interesting experience as the residents who live with her all think they are much younger than they are. Middle aged women will insist they are 5 or 8 years old, for example, and act accordingly. Importantly, all the residents seem happy, seem to form family bonds with each other, and pursue ways to be creative and productive as their abilities allow and they enjoy.

Amazing video! I really liked how you talked about how much Rosemary inspired to rest of her family, because a lot of other videos and articles don’t talk about it. And that’s a pivotal part of her story, that shouldn’t be forgotten about

as an autistic Dyspraxic and epileptic person this was a hard watch. Antoher interesting person to profile would be racing driver of the 1950s Archie Scott-Brown, who was born disabled after his mother got measlels while she was pregnant, at least once in his racing career other driver protested his entry and wins on the grouds of his disabilities

I'm so sad that this happened to her, but so grateful for the influence her and her family's experiences had on the world we live in today. Our understanding of the complexities of physical and mental difference and difficulties is still so rapidly changing and we need doctors and other professionals to take the lead from patients and their families and look at their lives as a whole. I wonder how different our world and medical systems would be if only people had the time and space to listen to everything and then make a decision.

i love the historical profiles series!! thank you jessica for the education!!!!!!!

For some reason, I couldn't help thinking of the doctor known as James Barry (1789-1865). I say "known as" because it wasn't until after Dr. Barry died that it was ever discovered that "he" was female - born Margaret Ann Bulkley, she was disguised as a boy, successfully trained as a doctor (serving either the army or navy?), is said to have performed the first successful Caesarean section (i.e. where both mother and child lived), and it was only when she died and they came to examine her body that somebody (a woman, as it happened) pointed out that Dr. Barry was female, and had given birth at least once! There is a bit about Margaret/James in The QI Book of the Dead, and she just struck me as a fascinating personality that you might be able to find something out about.

This was heartbreaking. I’m in tears. I was aware of Rosemary Kennedy, but not of the circumstances of her birth injury nor the fact that the doctor who pushed for and performed the lobotomy was completely unqualified. Thank you for this enlightening story. Telling it is important to the progress of society toward better understanding and treatment of ALL people.

I adore the historical profiles you do. You always cover the subjects with such thoughtfulness, wit, and respect.

I have a mental illness I've been to the hospital several times and knowing how people like me have been treated in the past is horrific

This comes out the day that Canada and Ontario reveals the horrors happening in Ontario care homes right now. Amazing video but man, it feels like it is hitting close to home

I live about fifteen minutes from Jefferson, WI. Sait Coletta's is still standing although it's up for sale. Beautiful grounds. You can still see the little cottage she lived in. It's truly beautiful if that's any consolation to this awful story. Most people from nearby Chicago come up here for vacations to local small towns.

This was such an important video! I had only heard of lobotomy in passing and although the Kennedys were (and probably still are) not really on my radar, telling her story story of the stigma and prejudice that led to things such as lobotomy even being thinkable, let alone actually accepted and feasible, was a wonderful way to both honour the memory of this poor woman and to spread the knowledge. When you mentioned that she effectively died only such a short time ago... perhaps some things changed much too late, and some simply not yet enough.

I’m autistic and have ADHD, although I was diagnosed only at the age of 18 but have been through multiple mental health professionals throughout my life, but every time any of them said something my abusive mother didn’t want to hear, she would make me change therapists or psychiatrists. My whole life I’ve been abused for my autistic traits, my mother even accused me of being “possessed” during a meltdown and took me to see a “medium” when I was 12, she threatened to send me away multiple times (and she would have if she didn’t feel the need to have me close to control me), I’m 19 now and have C-PTSD. I feel very connected to stories such as Rosemary’s, because I’m sure if I had been born a century (or a few decades) earlier, I would definitely have been lobotomised too, what she went through was a true horror story

This video brings up an issue that is still around today, in various guises. That is the idea that a child that is not behaving in a 'socially acceptable manner' somehow brings dishonour or disrespect down on the family. We still live in a patriarchal society where the males still overwhelming make the rules that negatively impact on anyone who is not white, male, and conservative. Love your videos.

This made me cry. Poor Rosemary. Things could have been so different if she could have just stayed in the UK. What an angel :(

This video was quite difficult for me to watch at times, but I'm so grateful to you for making it. I think the world needs to hear about more people like Rosemary Kennedy. Thank you for telling me about her.

I work at St Coletta’s of Wisconsin. Her house is still there and still in amazing condition.

My twin brother had a lobotomy when we were 2 and I didn't know that I was a twin until I got told by my grandmother at age 35 , I discovered that he was still alive in a state institution and got custody of him. update: he passed away yesterday of Covid-19 never knowing that I was his brother 😟😟😟

I always want to hug Rosemary Kennedy, who got so screwed over, and deserved SO much better. ♥️

She was AWAKE DURING IT OMG . This is so so barbaric and cruel her parents and this doctor should have been imprisoned .

Thank you for making this video; I’ve never really heard many people talk about Rose and how ignorance of society & the time era honestly tarnished her life, but how impactful her story was. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Aaa so excited for this one. Such an important story that people -even here in Massachusetts where every school teaches about the Kennedys- don’t know

I remember reading the Howard Dully‘s book about his own lobotomy and I was crying. I can‘t imagine that it‘s all was hapening just several decades ago.

I'm so happy this came out during my break from online class. I love your videos!!!

Thank you so much for covering this. I could barely watch the whole thing. I can't imagine researching, writing a script, and filming it. You are an amazing person.

Reading these comments is very emotional. Almost all of my family has had severe mental health issues. Most have died due to it. Several had lobotomies. It’s easy to feel like society still hates those of us who struggle with these disabilities. It’s so comforting to read people’s words of kindness here.

I'm so glad that you've made a video about this, one of my degrees is in History and it's shocking how little information people retain or seek out. Unrelated your hair and dress in this video are STUNNING (somehow more than usual lol)

The compassionate way that Jessica speaks about Rosemary and later, the Kennedy family's advocacy for people with disability was truly incredible. The nuance of the issue and all of the factors in play are introduced with such a light touch. Thank you for taking the time to educate all of us. This video has deeply affected me ❤️

when i act out, my mom tells me that i’m “crazy” and should undergo this procedure this rosemary… yikes. i’m 22 this year and just now realizing all the emotional and psychological abuse i’m still undergoing.

Have you ever heard of Temple Grandin? She's an amazing woman that's done so much for the autistic community, as well as animal rights.

You are an amazing inspiration to so many and help give hope through adversity . Your videos on pain and migraine are so accurate and it is reassuring that its not just me! Keep up the good work and good luck with the building work.

Beautifully done! I have the utmost respect for your handling of this difficult topic. Again, beautifully done.

thank you for educating me on something i knew nothing about !! i feel like i've learned so much since subscribing to your channel and although history is usually not fun, it's important, and you present it in a way that even my short attention span is interested :)

Yay I got here quickly for once! And thank you for this enlightening video, I really enjoyed it (despite the slightly morbid topic). I love your historical profiles series.

Having mental illnesses and studying to be a mental health nurse, it is truly heartbreaking and fills me with so much rage and sadness to know people were treated so awfully. Thank you for sharing this story 💜

This reminds me of when they'd diagnose ladies with hysteria. Please tell me something happened to "Dr" Freeman

Yesss I’m in love with history and it’s amazing that you teach us stuff that we would never had learned in school

My great aunt stayed in an asylum as a kid in the 40s or 50s (probably 40s). No one knows much about her time in it aside from the stuff she would tell my mum and 2 of my aunts. My mum told me that she talked about getting electroshock therapy and potentially a lobotomy (we aren't sure if she was lobotomized herself or not). After my aunt passed away a few years ago, my family and I were going through her things and found a lot of memorabilia of JFK (we assume she had a crush on him - she put his pictures in her family photo albums in its own section). Fun fact: A version of electroshock therapy is still offered today (electroconvulsive therapy). I met someone who did it while I was in a psych ward after I had a pretty bad episode with my mental disorders in response to my aunt's death (ironic). She had over 40 sessions with no symptom relief and gained short term memory loss. I can understand the concept of some of the treatments That were used prior to modern mental health care but unfortunately doctors really didn't have enough knowledge to treat mental disorders effectively (honestly, we barely can do it now.....). I am curious about how many people who had what would've been labeled as a successful lobotomy actually ended up with cluster b personality disorder traits as a result. I have Borderline Personality Disorder (1 of 4 types of cluster b personality disorders) and the frontal lobe not functioning correctly is a major part of the disorder.

I love listening to you! Historical lives always surprise me as I realise how far we've come as a society, and sometimes how certain things just haven't changed. I'd like to add that the interruption for the commercial was quite abrupt and although I'm happy that you get sponsors, I would have preferred a small warning before the start of the interruption. :) Also edit : I just finished this video, and wow, it's really heavy.

This is so sad, I was never really aware of any of her history to the degree you spoke about it here. I remember in school solely learning about JFK, RFK and their political work and ultimate fates. I think her history was an excellent topic and thank you for the educational video.

As a huge fan of studying the Kennedys my immediate reaction to seeing this notification was “oh no.“

The podcast “Medical Mysteries” just did a three part series on mental healthcare if anyone is interested. It’s very interesting and the sound mixing is pretty good.

I'd like to see an historical profile on Elizabeth Blackwell, Rosalind Franklin, and/or Sacagawea

Jessica I have only just found this channel and video. Thank you for being a champion of disabled. I have had rheumatoid arhritis, Endometriosis and many other conditions most of my life. On the outside I dont look ill and as I'm still quite young I am judged for using disabled bays etc. I am in pain daily you never know what another is suffering please be kind. Thanks again xx

Saw "What Happened to Rosemary Kennedy" pop up and immediately thought "absolutely nothing good" 🥺😥

These historical profiles/stories are so interesting! Also completely unrelated but your outfit is AWESOME Jessica!!! 👍💜😊

That was really informative, I didn’t know you did historical profiles! Can’t wait to see more of these!

Love this series - the amount of effort and research you put into the videos is amazing. Thanks for sharing this with us!

I honestly cried watching this: while it's great that so much visibility and strides forward came of what happened...my God, she was only 23. Rosemary Kennedy deserved so much more than what she got, and I hope Dr. Freeman is burning in Hell for what he did to her and everyone else he tortured.

Such a great video! Makes me so glad that I didn't live in those days because although I might have stayed under the radar, this easily could have happened to me. You just caused tears and me going down a research chasm. Thanks though 😥

I have seen the change the Kennedys made with this as Im a person with a learning disability. I have a tramatic brain injury form long-term carbon monoxide poisoning at the age of 4 it damaged the left side of my brain and cause me to have a severe learning disability. At the time I joined BOCES Mountain Board of Cooperative Educational Services here in Colorado underwent a lot of testing on my brain and have seen special education flourish because of me being in there they learned a lot about my disability and how to teach a person with my challenges so with that I'm very grateful for what the Kennedys did with rosemary it upsets me every day when I see people treat others with any kind of social disability or mental or learning disability as a different person and is very rude to them because I know exactly what they're going through as I have been through it myself even today at the age of 46 I still struggle with certain things like spelling and math and it's embarrassing when people bring it up or even make fun of it even now. I have come a long way since being in school there was a time that I had no reading comprehension now I can read a book and know exactly what I read and it's very freeing thank U Jessica for bringing this up and doing an episode on it

Thank you for doing this video. I was also born into a prominent family and have seen many family members with mental health problems hide from the public like my dad cousin and myself. Although none blames me for my head injury I can't go to most family functions. This is something people must never forget