Warning there is video/images of lobotomies that show blood For over a decade, lobotomies were seen as a miracle cure to mental illness; a simple, cheap, and effective way to reduce overcrowding in mental institutions. Tens of thousands of men, women, and even children received the procedure. Even when it fell out of favor in the late 1950s, Dr. Walter Freeman did everything in his power to keep it going. He performed thousands of lobotomies across the country, which included the sister of JFK, Rosemary Kennedy.