brain teaser

From the Independent, via psychosurgery:


The operation, which involved scooping lumps out of the brain, as if it were ice-cream, was subsequently popularised in the US by Walter Freeman who trundled round in his “lobotomobile”, demonstrating his “ice pick and hammer technique” to any hospital that would let him in, and knocking off 10 ops a day in hotel rooms. Nothing could stop his campaign to make America mentally “healthier”.


First, isn't 'scooping lumps out of the brain, as if it were ice cream' a wonderful piece of imagery? 


Second, is this an example of a bad person? I can't make up my mind. Maybe he sincerely believed that chopping depressed peoples' brains up was a good idea. I'm sure people have believed weirder things. Moral luck blablabla. On the other hand perhaps a higher than normal level of sincerity is needed to make profitting from activities that involve electric shock induced seizures and wiggling picks through eye sockets an ok thing to do. Or maybe the fact that Freeman was so keen on such a gruesome procedure makes it hard to believe that he could have been a good person for other reasons. Hmm...