TREPANATION FOR HEADACHES

The oldest trick in the book

PERU

Trepanation is the oldest known surgery in the world. Decidedly gruesome, it’s the act of cutting into, drilling or scraping a hole in a patient’s scalp – and, unsurprisingly, not everyone survived it. That didn’t stop the ancient Peruvians, though.

In the Andean highlands, trepanated skulls have been found dating back to 400 BCE. In fact, more have been found there than in any other ancient civilisation in the world – and it was a widespread practice with its roots in prehistory.