(no subject)
Mar. 3rd, 2005 02:06 pmSomething new I have learnt today:
Trepanation, also known as trephinning or trepanning, is a form of surgery where a hole is drilled or scraped into the skull, leaving the membrane around the brain intact. It addresses health problems that relate to abnormal intracranial pressure.
However, there are advocates who suggest trepanation even for healthy people, claiming that after an operation capillaries in the brain should operate on a higher metabolism resulting in a higher state of consciousness. Some claim spiritual benefits.
Wow... I mean, reading this it makes sense. Allow the brain to expand more, circulate etc. to increase brain function. But of course my common sense tells me this is insane and of course it doesn't work. It just baffles me to think that someone could drill a hole into their skull because of this. I don't even want to think about all the risks. And yet, very interesting o.o. Reminds me of "From Hell".
Trepanation, also known as trephinning or trepanning, is a form of surgery where a hole is drilled or scraped into the skull, leaving the membrane around the brain intact. It addresses health problems that relate to abnormal intracranial pressure.
However, there are advocates who suggest trepanation even for healthy people, claiming that after an operation capillaries in the brain should operate on a higher metabolism resulting in a higher state of consciousness. Some claim spiritual benefits.
[source]
Wow... I mean, reading this it makes sense. Allow the brain to expand more, circulate etc. to increase brain function. But of course my common sense tells me this is insane and of course it doesn't work. It just baffles me to think that someone could drill a hole into their skull because of this. I don't even want to think about all the risks. And yet, very interesting o.o. Reminds me of "From Hell".
no subject
Date: 2005-03-03 11:45 pm (UTC)it is said they trepanated to release demonic spirits from the subject, but some say it was a part of more mystical rituals..
then there is (well, it's not really trepanation but..) the drilling of skull in the point of the "third eye".. another quite known practice that is supposed to grant prophetic or clairvoyant powers..
just on a sidenote.. trepanation.. or rather craniectomy - which is the removal of a larger piece of the neurocranium .. is the only surgical and often life saving treatment of malignant brain oedema. the scull needs to be opened for a longer period.. so the removed bone piece is meanwhile stored in the abdominal cavity where it seems to survive just quite fine.. and then replaced.
on the other hand.. trepanation is a routine part of neurosurgical operations. and a couple decades ago, when prosthetics weren't that developed.. if they removed a larger part of the scull they didn't always care to replace it.. thus there are quite a few people still running around with holes in their cranium. actually.. some time ago i had one guy on CAT scan.. but i forgot to ask him how his consciousness got boosted or how he spiritually benefited from having a leaky cauldron.. :))
no subject
Date: 2005-03-04 12:14 am (UTC)Of course I don't doubt that you need to open up the cranium under certain circumstances. This is how they basically saved Roy Horn from total dementia. But at least then it's conducted by professionals who know what they're doing! The accounts I have read of was of people having it done at their HOMES by AMATEURS! I found that simply mindboggling o.o.
Also, most people admitted that it didn't do anything for them. This one guy was all elated and thrilled at first, imagining things to be clearer now and what not, but later he realized he was just making it up and all in all the surgery was pointless. Duh. I can see where these thoughts are coming from and I can see why people in the old days did that, but I think we've progressed enough now and don't need to do this sort of stuff anymore! >.>;
no subject
Date: 2005-03-04 12:47 am (UTC)yeah! :))