Evolving story: trepanation and self-trepanation to enhance brain function / Uma história em andamento: trepanação e auto-trepanação para aumentar a função cerebral

ABSTRACT Trepanation has been performed by people interested in enhancing mental power and well-being since the early 1960s. The pioneers and main proponents of the procedure are described here. The phenomenon appeared in Europe after a Dutch former medical student published a psychoactive drug-friendly scroll suggesting trepanation as a form of permanently increasing cerebral blood volume and function. He trepanned himself in 1965. Three of his friends became enthusiasts. They also submitted themselves to the procedure and published films and books describing their experiences. Two of them coauthored papers, in collaboration with Russian researchers, and created institutions to promote discussion on trepanation. One of these institutions organized trips to Central and South America to get the operation done. Dozens of people nowadays look for trepanation as a method of spiritualization and increasing well-being and mental power. The phenomenon has an uncertain future, however, as the main proponents and supporters are aging.

RESUMO Trepanação vem sendo feita por pessoas em busca de aumento da capacidade mental e bem estar desde a década de 1960. Os pioneiros e maiores proponentes do procedimento são aqui descritos. O fenômeno surgiu na Europa estimulado pela publicação de um manuscrito psicodélico e pela auto-trepanação feita por um ex-aluno de Medicina holandês, já falecido. Três amigos se tornaram entusiastas e também se submeteram a trepanação, apresentando o procedimento e descrevendo seus efeitos em livros ou filmes de certa repercussão. Dois deles criaram organizações de difusão e discussão sobre o tema, e uma destas instituições agencia e organiza viagens a países da América Central e do Sul para interessados. Trepanação foi feita até aqui com estes propósitos em dúzias de pessoas. O fenômeno tem, porém, futuro incerto, dado o envelhecimento de seus principais entusiastas.

Historia del tumi: símbolo de la medicina peruana y del Colegio Médico del Perú / History of the tumi: a symbol of ancient peruvian medicine adopted by the Peruvian College of physicians

El Tumi es un instrumento ceremonial semejante a un cuchillo con mango de forma rectangular o trapezoidal utilizado antiguamente en el Perú Precolombino. En la actualidad es un símbolo que forma parte del logotipo del Colegio Médico del Perú. Anteriormente se creía generalmente que el Tumi era utilizado principalmente para la realización de trepanaciones craneales, pero, posiblemente, su uso principal era para decapitar a los prisioneros de guerra. Nos enteramos de su existencia cuando un tumi se encontró por primera vez en Huaca Las Ventanas (un sitio arqueológico), ubicado en Batán Grande, comunidad de Poma, en Lambayeque, a finales de 1936 por el profesor Julio C. Tello. estos restos proceden desde 700- 1300 d.C.

The tumi (too-mee) is a ceremonial instrument resembling a knife with a rectangular or trapezoid handle used in ancient times in Peru. Now it is a symbol in the logo of the Peruvian Colege of Physicians. It was usually thought that the tumi was mainly used for performing cranial surgery, but possibly its main use was for beheading war prisioners. We learned of its existence when a tumi was first found in Huaca Las Ventanas (an archeological site), located in Batan Grande, Poma community in Lambayeque, at the end of 1936 bye Professor Julio C. Tello. The first tumi was dated somewhere between 700 to 1300 A.D.

Los primeros neurocirujanos de América: pre y postoperatorio en las trepanaciones Incas / The first neurosurgeons of America: Pre and post operative issues in the Inca trepanations

Las trepanaciones o craneotomías encontradas en America latina, fueron realizadas por culturas preincaicas y posteriormente por los Pueblos que fueron instruidos por ellos, durante su expansión del Tahuantinsuyo. En el presente trabajo se analizan aspectos del pre y postoperatorio, así como también del entorno, materiales de craneoplastías, elementos de sutura, etc.Se ensayan interpretaciones a la luz de nuevos hallazgos de la Neurocirugía y mi renovado interés por el tema.

The trepanation craniotomias found in americas or latino, were made by pre incaicas cultures and subsequently by People wo were educated by them, during their expansión of Tahuantinsuyo.In this paper we analyze aspects of pre and post operative periods, as well as the environment, craneoplasty materials,elements of suture, and so on. We rehearse interpretations in light of new findings of Neurosurgery and renewed interest in the topic.

Trepanaciones históricas y prehistóricas en Venezuela

Los autores hacen el informe preliminar del primer cráneo trepanado en la época precolombina en Venezuela. Hacen referencia a las primeras operaciones craneanas publicadas en Venezuela en los siglos XVIII y XIX por insignes cirujanos precursores de la cirugía neurológica. También se citan otras intervenciones practicadas en Hispanoamérica en los siglos XVI y XVII

Authors present the preliminary report on the first trepanned skull in the pre-Columbian period in Venezuela. References are made on the first skull interventions published in Venezuela during the XVIII and XIX centuries by distinguished precursors surgeons of the neurologic surgery. Other interventions performed during the XVI and XVII centuries in Latinoamerica are also quoted

Symbolic trephinations and population structure

The sample examined consists of 19 skulls with symbolic trephinations and 86 skulls without trepanations dated from the X century. Skulls were all excavated in the Great Hungarian Plain in the Carpathian Basin, which was occupied by the Hungarian conquerors at the end of the IX century. The variations of 12 cranial dimensions of the trephined skulls were investigated and compared to the skulls without trepanations after performing a discriminant analysis. The classification results evince that the variability of non-trephined skulls shows a more homogeneous and a more characteristic picture of their own group than the trephined samples, which corresponds to the notion, formed by archaeological evidence and written historical sources, of a both ethnically and socially differing population of the Hungarian conquerors. According to historical research, a part of the population was of Finno-Ugric origin, while the military leading layer of society can be brought into connection with Turkic ethnic groups. All the same, individuals dug up with rich grave furniture and supposed to belong to this upper stratum of society are primarily characterized by the custom of symbolic trephination, and, as our results demonstrate, craniologically they seem to be more heterogeneous.

Trepanaciones pre-colombinas / Trepanations pre-Colombian

El presente trabajo que presentamos, es algo preliminar para hacerlo más profundo, sobre todo para contribuir con una pauta a futuros investigadores de la revaloración de nuestra cultura, debido a la carencia que existe sobre el tema en nuestro país.

Simbolismo mágico religioso en un instrumento quirúrgico del Perú precolombino / Magic and religious symbolism in a surgical instrument from precolombine Peru

Se presenta un instrumento de bronce del Peru precolombino, probablemente preincaico, de la costa de ese pais, que con mucha seguridad fue usado para la operacion de la trepanacion. El instrumento tiene en un extremo un borde afilado tipo cincel y en el otro una talladura que representa una mano empuñando una concha. Se asocia el simbolismo de la concha con la funcion quirurgica.