trepanation
Trepanation is the practice of making a hole in the skull. It is the oldest surgical procedure practiced by mankind (ITAG introduction). Archaeologists have found trepanned skulls dating back to 3000 B.C. Hippocrates, who is considered to be the father of medicine, wrote "On Injuries of the Head" endorsed trepanation for the treatment of head wounds in 400 B.C. (Bowen). Edward M. Margetts stated, "The word 'trepanation' comes from the Greek trypanon, meaning 'a borer,' and dates back to classic times. The more recent term 'trephination' affords a variant, and is derived from the French." Basically to trepan is to bore a hole in the skull. This hole is usually made by scraping, rasping, drilling, cutting, or sawing into the skull). Historically, many cultures practiced trepanation. In 1829, in Polynesia, a missionary by the name of William Ellis reported that trepanation was used to repair bony deficiencies in the skull by replacing the bone with a piece of coconut shell. This is not true trepanation because they did not make the hole or depression in the skull. In Tahiti, trepanation was performed using a shark's tooth. The tahunas, or priests performed this procedure. In North America, trepanation was common before the w
Sometimes herbal medicines are added to promote healing. Evil spirits and demons, vapors, humors, air, hypothetical "pressures," actual pressures, real and fictional foreign bodies, "unknown substances," pus, blood and finally, pieces of bone. He is then placed in a sitting or lying position and restrained. According to Huges, mankind's normal sorry state of affairs is caused by the combination of gravity and man's evolution to upright stature, which combined to deprive the brain of vital oxygenating and glucose-rich blood that results in nutritional deficiency and diminished range of consciousness. Therefore, the cutting of a hole in the skull supposedly allows the brain to expand and contract with the blood pressure in much the same manner as observed in infants. I looked at the trepan and there was a bit of bone in it. At the time I thought that any hole would do, no matter what size. When the bone is reached, they scrape it and then leave it to heal. Trepanation is a dangerous, and potentially lethal, practice. One missionary reported that a British Columbian Indian came up to him, carrying a brace and a bit, begging him to bore a hole in his skull to let out the evil spirits that were causing him headaches. This type of trepanning is called umhlahlo. He said that the experienced effects of this procedure are likely due to the placebo effect. You look at problems as a source of entertainment. Even judged solely on this criterion, there are many far more esteemed and reputable men of science who contradict his views. It is the outermost of the three meninges that surround the brain.
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