From page 21 of The Lobotomist, a biography I’ve just started reading of Walter Freeman, the man who popularized the lobotomy in the United States:
His earliest memory was a dramatic and disturbing image: the point of a pickaxe breaking through the wall of his nursery when the neighboring residence was being demolished.
Why do I find his earliest memory less than completely believable . . . ? Even in a novel, it would be just a tad too good to be true.
When you’re finished with it, you might want to check out The Phlebotomist, the even more compelling story of the man who attempted to popularize blood letting in the United States. It didn’t end well.