Article: History of surgical science gets a thorough examination

The annals of medical history reveal that at one time if someone asked, "Do you have holes in your head?" he might have been inquiring as to whether you were feeling better after state-of-the-art medical treatment.

Trephining, the art of drilling holes in someone's skull to dispel evil spirits and make them feel better, is just one element of the medical lore and equipment housed on four floors of the International Museum of Surgical Science and Hall of Fame, 1524 N. Lake Shore Dr.

Trephining sounds like a screwy idea, but 4,000 year-old skulls from Peru reveal new bone formation in the holes, indicating the patients not only survived the procedure, but lived a long time afterward.

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