The act of drilling a hole into one's skull, has its roots in the mystical/therapeutic practices of ancient civilizations. Archaeologists have unearthed trepanned bone fragments in every continent except Antarctica, with some samples dating as far back as 10,000 BC.
Neurosurgeons emerged in the Andean Mountains by about 3,500 years ago in small communities near the eventual Inca heartland in the Peruvian Andes mountains.
The Andean surgeons in ancient Peru commonly and successfully removed small portions of the skull in mostly male patients to treat head injuries. A similar procedure is performed today to relieve pressure caused by fluid buildup after suffering a severe head trauma.
The Incas that basically covered the land of today Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Northern Chile, and Northern Argentina (the largest empire of the World geographically in the highlands of the Andes), surprisingly widespread the practice of drilling a hole into one's skull, and it was done all over their territory.
The Inca surgeons mastered certain highly skilled methods that were very successful, performing them safely and frequently. They avoided cutting cranial muscles and vulnerable parts of the skull. They also managed not to severe internal blood vessels or the membrane encasing the brain. Never before has a scientist ever seen a part of a bone extracted with such precision.
Later studies of many other skulls unearthed in the Andean soil led to the discovery of a whole range of different surgical techniques. Peru has more skulls with trepanation than everywhere else in the World combined. The operations were conducted without the modern antibiotics or the use of anesthesia, instead medicinal plants were used.
Surgical instruments for trepanation were made of obsidian, gold, silver and copper. Surgeons used four different techniques of surgery: they either drilled a hole in the cranium, or scraped a hole, or sawed out a rectangular bone fragment, or cut out a rounded piece of bone that could be reinserted after the operation was completed.
The first Inca skulls with more than five holes were found in a sacred burial cave near the road to Machu Picchu. A couple of skulls were laced with surgical holes which were perfectly circular and consistent in size. Other skulls showed that on top of the cranium a rectangular piece of bone had been removed.
In burial caves excavated in the South-Central Andean Province of Andahuaylas in Peru, were unearthed the remains of 32 individuals. Among them, 45 separate trepanation procedures were in evidence. In many cases, both the original wound and the trepanation healed. The findings also showed that the surgeons possessed a detailed knowledge of cranial anatomy.
Despite the studies carried out, the trepanation of the skull in the time of the Incas remains as one of the greatest mysteries of the history of medicine. The Incas by far surpassed the Europeans in the art of opening skulls for medical purposes. The nature of numerous wounds to the head and the fact that human body had to endure its survival at high altitude levels made the Incas look for ways to treat precisely such injuries. The Incas learned to perform trepanation of the skull in order to save the life of wounded peasants and even return them to their active life.
Neurosurgeons emerged in the Andean Mountains by about 3,500 years ago in small communities near the eventual Inca heartland in the Peruvian Andes mountains.
The Andean surgeons in ancient Peru commonly and successfully removed small portions of the skull in mostly male patients to treat head injuries. A similar procedure is performed today to relieve pressure caused by fluid buildup after suffering a severe head trauma.
The Incas that basically covered the land of today Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Northern Chile, and Northern Argentina (the largest empire of the World geographically in the highlands of the Andes), surprisingly widespread the practice of drilling a hole into one's skull, and it was done all over their territory.
The Inca surgeons mastered certain highly skilled methods that were very successful, performing them safely and frequently. They avoided cutting cranial muscles and vulnerable parts of the skull. They also managed not to severe internal blood vessels or the membrane encasing the brain. Never before has a scientist ever seen a part of a bone extracted with such precision.
Later studies of many other skulls unearthed in the Andean soil led to the discovery of a whole range of different surgical techniques. Peru has more skulls with trepanation than everywhere else in the World combined. The operations were conducted without the modern antibiotics or the use of anesthesia, instead medicinal plants were used.
Surgical instruments for trepanation were made of obsidian, gold, silver and copper. Surgeons used four different techniques of surgery: they either drilled a hole in the cranium, or scraped a hole, or sawed out a rectangular bone fragment, or cut out a rounded piece of bone that could be reinserted after the operation was completed.
The first Inca skulls with more than five holes were found in a sacred burial cave near the road to Machu Picchu. A couple of skulls were laced with surgical holes which were perfectly circular and consistent in size. Other skulls showed that on top of the cranium a rectangular piece of bone had been removed.
In burial caves excavated in the South-Central Andean Province of Andahuaylas in Peru, were unearthed the remains of 32 individuals. Among them, 45 separate trepanation procedures were in evidence. In many cases, both the original wound and the trepanation healed. The findings also showed that the surgeons possessed a detailed knowledge of cranial anatomy.
Despite the studies carried out, the trepanation of the skull in the time of the Incas remains as one of the greatest mysteries of the history of medicine. The Incas by far surpassed the Europeans in the art of opening skulls for medical purposes. The nature of numerous wounds to the head and the fact that human body had to endure its survival at high altitude levels made the Incas look for ways to treat precisely such injuries. The Incas learned to perform trepanation of the skull in order to save the life of wounded peasants and even return them to their active life.
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