How to get in and out of the skull: from tumi to "hammer and chisel" to the Gigli saw and the osteoplastic flap

Making "holes in the skull" is an ancient art and by some is considered the second oldest profession in the world-the first being prostitution. Early surgeons, and later on neurosurgeons, devised a number of ingenious ways to make a hole in the skull or elevate a depressed skull fracture....

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inNeurosurgical focus Vol. 36; no. 4; p. E6
Main Author Goodrich, James Tait
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.04.2014
Subjects
History, 15th Century
History, 16th Century
History, 17th Century
History, 18th Century
History, 19th Century
History, 20th Century
History, Ancient
History, Medieval
Humans
Medical Illustration - history
Reconstructive Surgical Procedures
Skull - surgery
Surgical Flaps
Trephining - history
Trephining - methods
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Making "holes in the skull" is an ancient art and by some is considered the second oldest profession in the world-the first being prostitution. Early surgeons, and later on neurosurgeons, devised a number of ingenious ways to make a hole in the skull or elevate a depressed skull fracture. Trephined skulls from antiquity have now been found in most parts of world, showing that the art of trephining is not only ancient but clearly widespread. Beginning with antiquity the author traces the development of this surgical skill by reviewing the various tools used and surgical designs to perform what is now called a craniotomy.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:1092-0684
1092-0684
DOI:10.3171/2014.2.FOCUS13543