Research into the reasons for trepanation (2016) | Hacker News Reader

Research into the reasons for trepanation (2016)

bbc.com

28 pointslaurex9 comments

https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/hole-in-the-head-trepanat...

That MIT article is much more informative that the originally linked article.

"Trepanation had been abandoned by most cultures by the end of the Middle Ages, but the practice was still being carried out in a few isolated parts of Africa and Polynesia until the early 1900s."

Not exactly. As far as I know the latest known trepanations in East Africa (other than those in a modern medical context of course, with electronic tools) have been carried out in the middle of the 20th century.

I can't find the paper anymore so take this with a grain of salt, but if I remember correctly the reports seemed to imply that the practice was merely driven underground by the laws forbidding it, not stopped.

There is a possibility that successful trepanations are still being carried out with simple stone tools today.

One paper by an anthropologist described the process as rather relaxing by the way, once the initial pain of cutting the skin and ripping it apart wears off. The grinding of the stone against the skull supposedly induced a kind of trance in many who experienced it.

How do they survive the trepanation? How does one live with a hole in the head for a few years?

The scalp is cut in a crescent shape and peeled open for the operation, and then folded back down and sewn back in place, so the hole is covered by the scalp.

Aieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Apparently it's not as bad as you'd think. I can't recall her name right now, but Michael Pollan talks about a British socialite that trepanated her own skull in his book 'How to change your mind'. Apparently she did that and went straight to a party, and she's alive to this day. I think there's even a video of her doing it online.

The body's amazing at recovering from all kinds of stuff.

Amanda Feilding, shes a royal too. She founded an institute for psychedelic research as well

It seems the researchers have not uncovered the fact that in Australian Aboriginal tribe (which I shall not name) trepanning is part of a warrior's initiation. Initiated warriors have a large section of skull removed which understandably makes them very much aware of those about them who might attack them. Any researchers might easily lose their lives inquiring further into this matter. :)

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