trepanning
Ancient brain surgery
Trepanning is the ancient surgical practice of drilling or scraping a hole in the skull.
Historically performed to treat head injuries, relieve pressure, or supposedly release evil spirits, it remains one of the oldest known surgical procedures—skulls with healed trepanation holes date back thousands of years.
Modern medicine rarely uses it, though similar procedures address specific brain conditions.
The verb trepan means to perform this operation: The surgeon trepanned the patient to relieve intracranial pressure.
Skull bone structure
- skullHead's bone casing
- craniotomySurgical skull removal procedure
- trephinationSurgical skull perforation
- neurosurgeryMedical field treating brain surgically
drill · surgeon · incision · anesthesia · scalpel · forceps · hemostat · operating room
Tiresome individual or drill
- augerSpiral hole-maker
- perforationHole punched through something
- trephineCylindrical surgical saw
- burrClinging seed case
pilot hole · coring · cylindrical · rotation · precision · depth · countersink
Metaphysical perception organ
- consciousness expansionDeliberately widening mental perception
- enlightenmentProfound spiritual awakening
- shamanismMediation between worlds
- ritualCeremonial set of actions
spirituality · transcendence · esoteric · occult · pineal gland · vision quest · altered states · spiritual awakening
Surgical skull perforation
- prehistoricBefore documented civilization
- archaeologicalOf studying ancient remains
- survivalRemaining alive against odds
- NeolithicFinal prehistoric stone-tool era
Inca · Hippocrates · ritual healing · ancient medicine · Bronze Age · Peru · evidence · excavation
Bogus methodology posing as factual
- quackeryFraudulent medical practice
- ethicsStudy of right conduct
- consentVoluntary agreement given
- malpracticeHarmful professional negligence
risks · experimentation · criticism · debate · advocacy · skepticism · danger · unproven
cranium
Skull bone structure
- skullHead's bone casing
- craniotomySurgical skull removal procedure
- trephinationSurgical skull perforation
neurosurgery · drill · surgeon · incision · anesthesia · scalpel · forceps · hemostat · operating room · patient
bore
Tiresome individual or drill
- augerSpiral hole-maker
- perforationHole punched through something
- trephineCylindrical surgical saw
burr · pilot hole · coring · cylindrical · rotation · precision · depth · countersink
third eye
Metaphysical perception organ
- consciousness expansionDeliberately widening mental perception
- enlightenmentProfound spiritual awakening
- shamanismMediation between worlds
ritual · spirituality · transcendence · esoteric · occult · pineal gland · vision quest · altered states · spiritual awakening · psychic
trephination
Surgical skull perforation
- prehistoricBefore documented civilization
- archaeologicalOf studying ancient remains
- survivalRemaining alive against odds
Neolithic · Inca · Hippocrates · ritual healing · ancient medicine · Bronze Age · Peru · evidence · excavation · anthropology
pseudoscience
Bogus methodology posing as factual
malpractice · risks · experimentation · criticism · debate · advocacy · skepticism · danger · unproven · alternative medicine
- surgerysurgery, surgeon, surgeons, operation, incision
- medical historyHippocrates, germ theory, bloodletting, Galen, four humors
- medieval medicinebloodletting, leeching, four humors, humors, barber-surgeons
- Medieval Sciencealchemy, astrology, astronomy, natural philosophy, scholasticism
- old medicinebloodletting, leeches, leech therapy, leeching, cupping
- Old-Fashioned Medicineague, apoplexy, consumption, dropsy, grippe
trepanningnon-invasive treatment
Care without penetrating body
watchful waiting · topical treatment · medication · observation · drug therapy
trepanningcranioplasty
Surgical skull defect correction
closing · bone grafting · closure · sealing · wound closure