others."
I noted on my pad while thinking that I understood what she was saying but couldn't escape the thought that there had to have been some other way to treat the poor girl.
"But today we luckily have antidepressants and antipsychotics," I said.
The doctor closed her eyes and nodded slowly. "That we do."
"The article that I'm doing is sort of a background story about lobotomy. You know its history, who invented it, where was it used in Denmark and so on. But what I really would love to add to the article is a little detailed information about the procedure itself."
Dr. Irene Hoeg leaned over her desk. "Like what?"
"You have tried it, right?" I said.
The doctor nodded. "Like I told you. Once." She lifted her forefinger to emphasize that it was only the one time.
"Is it difficult?"
The doctor looked at me with wonder. "Is what difficult?"
"To make the cut precisely. Is it something anyone can do?"
Dr. Irene Hoeg remained pensive for a few seconds. "I don't believe anyone could do it correctly, no. You need to know about the brain. How it is put together, where everything is at, where to open it, which nerves to cut."
"Of course, but if the purpose is to kill someone, then it's not that hard is it?"
"I suppose not. If you don't care what you do then no. Anyone with a scalpel can open up the brain and cut the nerves. Provided that they know how to hold and cut with a scalpel of course."
I speculated as I wrote on my pad. The forensic report had stated that it didn't seem like a professional cut, but also that it was hard to tell since Susanne Larsen had still been alive and therefore had tried to fight for her life. Could it have been professionally made if she hadn't moved and fought? I looked at Dr. Irene Hoeg's hands. They were shaking slightly. Could the cut have been made from someone who used to do this professionally but now was older? But how was the murderer then supposed to be so physically superior to Anders Hoejmark that he could hold him with only one hand? Maybe if he was strong and in shape like Dr. Hoeg, despite her age? It was possible. Somehow this had to have a connection to what had been done back then. Somehow the killer was trying to state something by performing this procedure on his victims. But why? What kind of statement was it? Why was it so important?
"I think that was everything," I said and got up from my chair.
"That was fast," Dr. Hoeg said and escorted me to the front door. She walked with strong athletic movements.
As we reached the door I turned and looked at her. "Say have you heard about the historian who wrote a book two years ago stating that there had been cases of use of lobotomy on patients in the Nineties?"
Irene Hoeg shook her head. "I know of this so-called medical historian and his work. It's not true. The lobotomies ended in the late Seventies in this country. Of that I am certain. No psychiatric patients have been lobotomized since."
"But where did he get his information from then?"
"I don't know where he gets his ideas from. It's ludicrous. But I do know that he was forced by the publisher right after the publication of the book to recall it and excuse all of his statements made in it. It was merely accusations. He was just trying to get his fifteen minutes of fame. Now if you'll excuse me I have a granddaughter to see. It's her birthday."
"It was very kind of you to see me today," I said and shook her hand one more time before I walked down the stairs. The gravel crunched under my feet as I walked across the driveway to my car.
I had a strange feeling as I turned on the engine, a feeling that I needed to find this medical historian and talk to him.
C HAPTER 18
B ACK AT THE OFFICE I wrote an article on 'The history of lobotomy through times' and another one about how it was used in Denmark. I didn't get into the discussion about when it had stopped in Denmark instead I used Irene Hoeg's statement that she had done the last one at the psychiatric
I noted on my pad while thinking that I understood what she was saying but couldn't escape the thought that there had to have been some other way to treat the poor girl.
"But today we luckily have antidepressants and antipsychotics," I said.
The doctor closed her eyes and nodded slowly. "That we do."
"The article that I'm doing is sort of a background story about lobotomy. You know its history, who invented it, where was it used in Denmark and so on. But what I really would love to add to the article is a little detailed information about the procedure itself."
Dr. Irene Hoeg leaned over her desk. "Like what?"
"You have tried it, right?" I said.
The doctor nodded. "Like I told you. Once." She lifted her forefinger to emphasize that it was only the one time.
"Is it difficult?"
The doctor looked at me with wonder. "Is what difficult?"
"To make the cut precisely. Is it something anyone can do?"
Dr. Irene Hoeg remained pensive for a few seconds. "I don't believe anyone could do it correctly, no. You need to know about the brain. How it is put together, where everything is at, where to open it, which nerves to cut."
"Of course, but if the purpose is to kill someone, then it's not that hard is it?"
"I suppose not. If you don't care what you do then no. Anyone with a scalpel can open up the brain and cut the nerves. Provided that they know how to hold and cut with a scalpel of course."
I speculated as I wrote on my pad. The forensic report had stated that it didn't seem like a professional cut, but also that it was hard to tell since Susanne Larsen had still been alive and therefore had tried to fight for her life. Could it have been professionally made if she hadn't moved and fought? I looked at Dr. Irene Hoeg's hands. They were shaking slightly. Could the cut have been made from someone who used to do this professionally but now was older? But how was the murderer then supposed to be so physically superior to Anders Hoejmark that he could hold him with only one hand? Maybe if he was strong and in shape like Dr. Hoeg, despite her age? It was possible. Somehow this had to have a connection to what had been done back then. Somehow the killer was trying to state something by performing this procedure on his victims. But why? What kind of statement was it? Why was it so important?
"I think that was everything," I said and got up from my chair.
"That was fast," Dr. Hoeg said and escorted me to the front door. She walked with strong athletic movements.
As we reached the door I turned and looked at her. "Say have you heard about the historian who wrote a book two years ago stating that there had been cases of use of lobotomy on patients in the Nineties?"
Irene Hoeg shook her head. "I know of this so-called medical historian and his work. It's not true. The lobotomies ended in the late Seventies in this country. Of that I am certain. No psychiatric patients have been lobotomized since."
"But where did he get his information from then?"
"I don't know where he gets his ideas from. It's ludicrous. But I do know that he was forced by the publisher right after the publication of the book to recall it and excuse all of his statements made in it. It was merely accusations. He was just trying to get his fifteen minutes of fame. Now if you'll excuse me I have a granddaughter to see. It's her birthday."
"It was very kind of you to see me today," I said and shook her hand one more time before I walked down the stairs. The gravel crunched under my feet as I walked across the driveway to my car.
I had a strange feeling as I turned on the engine, a feeling that I needed to find this medical historian and talk to him.
C HAPTER 18
B ACK AT THE OFFICE I wrote an article on 'The history of lobotomy through times' and another one about how it was used in Denmark. I didn't get into the discussion about when it had stopped in Denmark instead I used Irene Hoeg's statement that she had done the last one at the psychiatric
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