Ebony-Handled Skull Trephines (2)

Description: Trepanation is the oldest recorded surgical procedure, dating back to 6000 B.C. or even earlier, in which a hole was cut through the skull to expose the brain. Until nearly the 18th century, trepanation was thought to be a cure or treatment for all issues involving the brain such as mental illnesses, migraines, and epilepsy. Essentially used as a form of humorism, one text from the 13th-century suggested using skull trephines on epileptics so that “the humors and air may go out and evaporate,” in belief that this would cure, or reduce the symptoms of, the epilepsy. Interestingly, most cases of ancient trepanation have been found in Peru where Peruvian surgeons in 1000-1400 A.D. had extremely high survival rates ranging from 70-80% on average! It is speculated that the instrument of predominant use during Peruvian trepanation was the tumi knife which is now displayed as the logo for the Peruvian American Medical Society. Today, trepanation is no longer used as a thought-to-be cure for various conditions, but craniotomies (which are now frequently performed) are instead done by neurosurgeons by creating a hole in the skull to remove fluid or release pressure in specific regions. This operation is predominantly used to treat epidural and subdural hematomas in which blood collects between the meninges (the layers of membrane which cover and protect the brain and spinal cord) which puts pressure on the brain.

Origin: Circa Mid 1860s; United States