Andean People Already Perfected Skull Surgery Thousands of Years Ago

In ancient Peru, trepanation – removing a section of a person’s skull using a hand drill or a scraping tool – was much more common than today. But it was much more dangerous, too. The risky process was applied to treat a variety of ailments, from head injuries to heartsickness.

Around 2,000 years ago, a ‘doctor’ in ancient Peru used some simple device to scrape a hole in the skull of a living human being. Apparently, much of the patient’s fractured upper skull was removed without applying modern anesthesia or sterile techniques. Yet, the patient survived.

Look at this 2000-year-old Peruvian elongated skull. The metal piece was surgically implanted in it, most probably after the person returned from battle. The the broken bone surrounding the repair is tightly fused together indicates it was indeed a successful surgery. Perfect job.

But that’s all we really know about it. Or is it?