Trepanation Presentation by Karrah Christenson Session 8 2012
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Transcript of Trepanation Presentation by Karrah Christenson Session 8 2012
Trepanation in the Archaeological Record
Karrah Christenson7 September 2012
Session 8
Skeletal Pathologies
• The most common pathology to affect skeletal remains is degenerative change
• The second most common pathology is trauma
• 3 types of trauma– Fracturing & dislocating bone – Disrupting blood or nerve supply to the
bone– Artificial deformation
Artificial Deformations
• Artificial deformation is a result of cultural practices
• Most artificial deformations are manifest in the cranium– These include :
• Wrapping the crania of infants
• Applying pressure to the cranium to deform the cranial vault
• And trepanation
TrepanationTrepanation is a practice in which an artificial hole is made in the cranial vault of a living person (Folkens & White 2005)
Ortner and Putschar (1981) say trepanation is perhaps the most remarkable pathology seen by the pathologist.
History of Trepanation
• Written accounts reveal that ancient Greeks practiced trepanation
• Archaeological records show that the practice goes deeper into the past appearing in Europe, the Pacific, North and South America, Africa, and Asia
• Oldest surgical procedure for which archaeological evidence has been found
Common Methodologies-scraping a patch of
bone away
-cutting a patch of bone out by making grooves through the vault
-drilling small holes around the plug of bone to be removed
Why Practice Trepanation?
• Thought to be done in order to relieve intracranial pressure being caused by injuries/ compressive fractures of the skull vault
• Relieve common headaches• Cure mental illnesses• Let out evil spirits• As a sign of social status- supernatural
powers
Success Rate? • Survival rate of those
practicing trepanation was rather high
• This is evident in the number of healed trepanations found in the archaeological record
• Sometimes bone completely regenerates
Trepanation from 5100 BC demonstrating post-operative
healing
Trepanations in Menorca?• Excavations at La Cova des Cárritx revealed a
necropolis with collective inhumations • Three examples of trepanation were found at the
site, including 1 juvenile and 2 adult individuals • Because the individuals show no other trauma/
pathologies for a necessary trepanation, its been suggested that the operations were done as part of a magic ritual- perhaps these were high status individuals with supernatural powers
• The remains from this Menorcan cave can be seen in the Ciutadella Municipal Museum
Our Current Findings at Binimel là
• During this session’s excavations at the prehistoric Talaiotic cave, a portion of frontal bone was found with evidence of trepanation
• The bone appears to show partial regeneration- meaning the individual survived for some time after the trepanation was completed
What does our find mean?• First case of
trepanation found at this site
• Reveals that the practice was occurring in prehistoric Talaiotic culture around the island
• The wound was partially healed – would have been of significant size in a prominent location
Modern Trepanation
Sources
• The Human Bone Manual. Tim D. White and Pieter A. Folkens 2005
• Arqueologia Menorca. Los tres Cráneos de la Cova des Càrrtix, tres ejemplos de trepanacion prehistorica
• Rituales de Vida y Muerte en la Prehistoria de Menorca: La Cova de Càrrtix. Vincente Lull