ABSTRACT
Of all the forms of surgical intervention for whatever reason, that of making holes in the skull is possibly the oldest. Widespread in many cultures, as several of the papers in these proceedings attest, it is one of the earliest forms of intervention involving a bony structure whose evidence forms part of the archaeological record. As this paper will show, the use of trepanation is well attested in the written accounts of Greek and Roman medicine.1 The purpose of this paper is to examine Galen’s record on trepanation and how he manipulated the technique from the point of view of his studies on the physiology of the brain. Galen’s employment of trepanation also reflects a physician’s awareness of the dangers of such a procedure. Before Galen’s account is examined, it is necessary to review how trepanation was employed by his antecedents, and the instruments that were used.
