Partial cranial trephination by means of Hippocrates' <i>trypanon</i> from 5th century BC Himera (Sicily, Italy)

Fabbri, Pf; Lonoce, Norma; Masieri, Maurizio; Caramella, Davide; Valentino, Matteo; Vassallo, Sylvie

doi:10.1002/oa.1197

Cited by 14 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Fabbri et al presented a case of cranial trepanation that was performed at the beginning of the 5th century BC, in a Greek colony in Sicily. 10 This procedure was evidently performed in the manner that was described a few decades later in "On injuries of the head." The lack of relevant skeletal evidence in the geographic area of ancient Greece during and after the Hippocratic era has, however, led some authors to suggest that the practice was not popular among the physicians of that time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The skull of Chios: trepanation in Hippocratic medicine

Tsermoulas

Aidonis²,

Flint

2014

JNS

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Cranial trepanation is the oldest neurosurgical operation and its roots date back to prehistory. For many centuries, religion and mysticism were strongly linked to the cause of diseases, and trepanation was associated with superstitions such as releasing evil spirits from inside the skull. The Hippocratic treatise “On injuries of the head” was therefore a revolutionary work, as it presented a systematic approach to the management of cranial trauma, one that was devoid of spiritual elements. Unfortunately, there are only a limited number of skeletal findings that confirm that the practice of trepanation was performed as part of Hippocratic medicine. In this historical vignette, the authors present a trepanned skull that was found in Chios, Greece, as evidence of the procedure having been performed in accordance with the Hippocratic teaching. The skull bears a parietal bur hole in association with a linear fracture, and it is clear that the patient survived the procedure. In this analysis, the authors examine the application of the original Hippocratic teaching to the skull of Chios. The rationalization of trepanation was clearly a significant achievement in the evolution of neurosurgery.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…10 The contribution of Hippocrates was the stripping of trepanation from superstitions and enabling its conversion into a purely medical procedure. The process paralleled a general transformation of the medical culture at that time to one that became devoid of magico-ritual elements.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The skull of Chios: trepanation in Hippocratic medicine

Tsermoulas

Aidonis²,

Flint

2014

JNS

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“…Cutmark micromorphology is also considered in the study of surgical or ritual bone incisions, such as trephinations, and their differentiation from taphonomic changes (e.g. Stevens and Wakely, 1993;Fabbri et al, 2012).…”

Section: Tooth Alterations and Bone Cut Marksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paleohistology and the study of human remains: past, present and future approaches

Assis

Santos

Keenleyside

2016

rev arg antrop biol

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The invention of the microscope revolutionized the course of human knowledge. This instrument changed the face of science and of previous beliefs, expanded the horizons of knowledge, and challenged philosophical and scientific thought, especially in the field of natural sciences and medicine. In the domain of bioarchaeology, the introduction of histological techniques was important; not only to identify body tissues and to diagnose diseases in mummified remains, KeywoRdS microscopy; dry bone remains; multiple approaches but also to understand bone and teeth microstructure, and associated patterns of response to environmental constraints. In this paper a critical review of the major contributions of histology to the growing body of knowledge in paleopathology and bioarchaeology will be presented, focusing on the current multiple applications of microscopy, its limitations, and its future challenges. Rev Arg Antrop Biol 18(2), 2016. doi:10.17139/raab.2016.0018.02.02 PAlABRAS ClAve microscopía, restos humanos, múltiples enfoquesReSUMeN La invención del microscopio ha revolucionado el curso del conocimiento humano. Este instrumento cambió la "cara" de la ciencia y de las creencias anteriores, amplió los horizontes del conocimiento y retó al pensamiento filosófico y científico, especialmente en el campo de las ciencias naturales y la medicina. En el dominio de la bioarqueología, la introducción de técnicas histológicas fue determinante, no sólo para identificar los tejidos del cuerpo y diagnosticar enfermedades en restos momificados, sino también para comprender la microestructura y dinámica de los huesos y los dientes, y los patrones asociados de respuesta a las restricciones ambientales. En este trabajo se presenta una revisión crítica de las principales contribuciones de la histología al creciente cuerpo de conocimientos de la paleopatología y la bioarqueología, con énfasis en las actuales aplicaciones de la microscopía, sus limitaciones y los desafíos para el futuro.

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“…repeatedly described in the hippocratic Corpus, it exhibits a broad temporal and geographic distribution in the archaeological record. Fabbri et al (2012) report on a trepanation from the Greek colony of himera (Sicily) dating to the Classical age. SEM-EDS microanalysis revealed the traces left by the tool, subsequently identified as a hippocratic trypanon or Latin terebra.…”

Section: Traumamentioning

confidence: 99%