ABSTRACT
Surgery is an art of working with the hands. Its name derives from the Latin word chirurgia, which in turn comes from the Greek cheiros and ergon. Medicine was highly developed among the Aztecs of Mexico. The Mesopotamians’ attitude toward the origin and treatment of diseases made it natural that internal medicine was the leading specialty. Medicine was a large part of the cultural exchange which certainly went on between Egypt and Greece. A common symptom in various painful conditions is local swelling. Primitive folk have found it easy to believe that an evil spirit lived in a swollen spot, which would disappear if the spirit were released. The medicine-men or shamans who dealt with trepanations stood high in society. The trepanation is performed to relieve acute pressure on the brain.
