Facts and Myths of Primitive Trepanations

Abstract

A primitive or prehistoric culture is defined if is lacking of any written document. Regarding trepanation almost all information is obtained from human remains founded in burial sites. The interest for primitive trepanations started when Paul Broca studied in 1867 a Peruvian trepanned skull brought by the American archaeologist Ephraim George Squier. Most of the proposals about primitive trepanations are speculative. The indications for primitive trepanations include only a scarce number of cases of skull fractures of mastoiditis. The lack of recognisable pathology and the high survival rates suggest a magical-religious justification of the procedure. Some myths about primitive trepanations are discussed: serious consequences for the patient of a brain injury that could be iatrogenically caused during the trepanation, the difficulty to open the skull and the belief that trepanation was a sophisticated surgical intervention. The trepanations of the primitive cultures are already over. The spread of modern Western civilisation and uses in all corners of the world make it virtually impossible for it to continue its practice in any contemporary culture.