Ancient cranial surgery [trepanation]

Eurekalert! ^ | December 19, 2013 | Andrea Estrada

[SunkenCiv]

Cranial surgery is tricky business, even under 21st-century conditions (think aseptic environment, specialized surgical instruments and copious amounts of pain medication both during and afterward).

However, evidence shows that healers in Peru practiced trepanation — a surgical procedure that involves removing a section of the cranial vault using a hand drill or a scraping tool — more than 1,000 years ago to treat a variety of ailments, from head injuries to heartsickness. And they did so without the benefit of the aforementioned medical advances...

According to Kurin, trepanations first appeared in the south-central Andean highlands during the Early Intermediate Period (ca. AD 200-600), although the technique was not universally practiced. Still, it was considered a viable medical procedure until the Spanish put the kibosh on the practice in the early 16th century...

"For about 400 years, from 600 to 1000 AD, the area where I work — the Andahuaylas — was living as a prosperous province within an enigmatic empire known as the Wari," she said. "For reasons still unknown, the empire suddenly collapsed." And the collapse of civilization, she noted, brings a lot of problems.

[SunkenCiv]

Danielle Kurin, University of California - Santa Barbara. Credit: Spencer Bruttig

[SunkenCiv]

[prisoner6]

“For reasons still unknown, the empire suddenly collapsed.”

Maybe because they were drilling holes in each others heads?

[SunkenCiv]

;’)

[Fred Nerks]

3,800 skulls of inhibitants [sic] of the Baltic Sea coast of previous centuries have been investigated beginning with the neolithic period up to the 18th century. 10 cases of skull trepanation were found, 8 of which were performed in Latvia, 6 were successful. One of them is of large size (120 x 60 mm) and shows traces of healing. It is dated back to the neolithic period.

ARTICLE LINK

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The most interesting findings unearthed during the excavations are skulls, which underwent surgical operation. In the graveyard on the highest hill in the ancient site, dating back to 2300-2100 BC, eight out of the 690 skeletons had skulls with traces of surgical operation. These skulls have archaeological importance since they are the only ones unearthed in Anatolia. They also show that people who lived there did not have the characteristics of Mediterranean people but of southern Russians and Bulgarians.

Joe Zias, in an article in Mikhmanim (Spring 1999), says there have been 29 skulls showing trepanation (trephination) discovered in Israel. He says the survival rate based on “inflammatory or bone remodeling” indicate a 77 percent survival rate in these cases.

SOURCE

[GeronL]

I have many doubts about this.

This guy could have been hit in the head with a rock and survived a while afterwards. Jumping to the conclusion that this was a “surgery” seems preposterous to me.

[Fred Nerks]

Trephinated skull found in the River Thames, note brow ridges

Well-preserved skull of Gadevang Man, a prehistoric 'bog body', dated 480-60 BC, found in Denmark. The skull shows signs of a surgical trephination procedure

Mesoamerica - skull showing several trephinated holes.

FWIW it's my opinion what you see is the result of the removal of CUTANEOUS HORNS:

Cutaneous horns are a mysterious medical condition but they may be caused by radiation exposure since they occur more in sunlight exposed areas (face, hands). They could arise from burn scars and some have reported an association with a common disease known as human papillomavirus (HPV). Probably the largest cutaneous horn was the one that was on Madame Dimanche, a French woman from the 19th century whose forehead horn measured 9.8 inches (24.9 cm). It was successfully removed via surgery

cutaneous horns images

[GeronL]

I see those all the time. lol.

not really

[Bigg Red]

Maybe because they were drilling holes in each others heads?

((
‘Zachary what I was thinkin’.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks FN!

[Lee'sGhost]

Ancient Aliens!