This is a concise study of the prehistorical trepanation which we have interpreted on the basis of our personal experience from the examination of more than three thousand skulls. We have also inquired into the reasons that have given rise to trepanation, and at the same time have tried to clarify some of the inconsistencies of this subject. The study includes reference to the pathological lesions that are more frequent in the prehistorical skulls. In iconography there are few samples of these lesions in which the diagnosis is very difficult.
After a study of approximately 3,000 ancient skulls, from the Neolithic period to the Late Middle Ages, the presence of five lesions suspected of having corresponded to a meningioma during life were detected.The study is comparative with the current clinical picture of these lesions, with regard to their morphological as well as to their radiographic aspect. We consider that the situation of the lesions, the macroscopic appearance of the osteogenic or osteoloytic alterations, associated vascular grooves, age and sex is sufficient to diagnose these tumours with a small margin of error.
RESUMENLa mano, òrgano esencial de la especie humana, seguramente ha sufrido afecciones patológicas iguales o semejantes a las actuales; sin embargo, los paleopatologos no las hemos constatado hasta períodos muy recientes, seguramente debido a los procesos tafonómicos. En el presente trabajo aportamos nuestra experiencia y revisamos someramente los casos publicados por otros autores que hemos podido consultar, incluyendo las prácticas punitivas y rituales a que los humanos se han visto sometidos. SUMMARYThe hand, essential organ of the human species, surely has suffered patological affections equal or smimilar to the present day ones, nevertheless, the paleopathologists have not verified them until very recent times, certainly due to the taphonomic processes. On the present study we furnish our experience and, check superficially, the cases published by other authors that we have been able to consult, including the punitive and ritual prectices that the human have been subjugated. INTRODUCCIÓNEl hombre como primate, tiene una serie de características comunes a su orden zoológico y otras particulares propias del género y especie a que pertenece. No comentaremos todas las características comunes a su orden limitándonos a aquéllas que guardan relación con las manos. En los primates se conservan una serie de caracteres arcaicos que se combinan con otros muy evolucionados: entre los primeros están la pentadactilia, ya presente en muchos reptiles del secundario, y la persistencia de las clavículas, y entre los segundos, el gran desarrollo del encéfalo, la visión binocular cromática y la oposición del primer dedo, por lo menos en las extremidades anteriores o superiores. En el caso concreto del hombre, es de destacar la amplia representación cortico-cerebral motora para la mano en la circunvolución frontal ascendente y otro tanto ocurre, en la parietal ascendente, con el área reservada a la sensibilidad táctil. En el hombre la oposición del pulgar alcanza su grado máximo, siendo el quinto dedo en menor grado también oponible. La sensibilidad cutánea de la mano, sobre todo a nivel del pulpejo de los dedos, alcanza un nivel muy alto, como lo de-
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