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Trepanning & Trepanation

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Anonymous

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trepanation

Can anyone put in touch with some good resources about trepanation (or trephination)? I can't be the only one interested in this subject, and I figured this site was a good place to ask. I am especially interested in modern used (the who what when and how of it) but also in historical uses.
 
A quick search on Yahoo produced five sites devoted to the
subject. Suggest you start there.
 
Re the message immediately above.....

Oh dear...............someone was bound to say it.
 
I read a book some time ago about some woman drilling a hole in her head while her boyfriend filmed the process. This was back in the 80s and I think I still have the book . . . and now, instead of going to beddybyes it's going to bother me so that I'll have to try to find the dratted book amongst all the myriad volumes I own!

:(
Carole
 
hey whats up

what's trephination? oh well this is my first post here.how are you doing?
 
I found quite a bit on this subjet when I did a net search a few months ago. What I want to find is a copy of the video.
 
carole said:
I read a book some time ago about some woman drilling a hole in her head while her boyfriend filmed the process.

Carole


"Bore Hole."
 
carole said:
I read a book some time ago about some woman drilling a hole in her head while her boyfriend filmed the process. This was back in the 80s and I think I still have the book . . . and now, instead of going to beddybyes it's going to bother me so that I'll have to try to find the dratted book amongst all the myriad volumes I own!

:(
Carole

I also recall something about this (God only knows where from however.) Apparently she used the appropriate surgical equipment. It is *very* important to do this. I think that the "drill" is actually some sort of vibrating circular (or mor like tubular) saw. The idea is that the vibrating blade will only cut through the hard material (i.e. bone), but that there is sufficient give in softer mattter (e.g. brain, and the meninga (?) membrane) that it will not cut into these.

I think that she showed the film at an exhibition of avant-garde art, but that she was disappointed as Robert Maplethorpe attracted more attention with his film of people urinating on him. :blah:
 
Wait... (correction)

the book was called "Bore Hole," the film was "Heartbeat in the Brain."

I think. :p
 
hachihyaku said:
Wait... (correction)

the book was called "Bore Hole...

"Ass-Hole" would have been more appropriate. Where do people get their ideas from? I once drilled some holes in the airbox of my car, but my head? Nah, I don't think so.
 
Fortis said:
I also recall something about this (God only knows where from however.) Apparently she used the appropriate surgical equipment. It is *very* important to do this. I think that the "drill" is actually some sort of vibrating circular (or mor like tubular) saw. The idea is that the vibrating blade will only cut through the hard material (i.e. bone), but that there is sufficient give in softer mattter (e.g. brain, and the meninga (?) membrane) that it will not cut into these.

I think that she showed the film at an exhibition of avant-garde art, but that she was disappointed as Robert Maplethorpe attracted more attention with his film of people urinating on him. :blah:

What did she expect? What she did was boring.:D

Nonny
 
I moved house this last weekend and discovered amongst my books the Amok Journal - Sensurround Edition...
ISBN 1-878923-03-X

It has a whole (hole?) section on Trepanation, with pictures... Amanda Fielding's and Joey Mellen's self trepanation while on LSD gets the majority of sapce. There is even an interview with Amanda from Fortean Times. It's really very interesting. Articulate, normal(?) folk drilling holes in their heads - to get brain 'pulsation' apparently... I'll keep an open mind about this one (haha, or not).

Bye

Martin
 
I read today about a prehistoric skull that had been trepanned. This reminded me of a boy at my school who was treppaned at the age of about 14. He had a serious problem (fluid on the brain I think) and this was done to help the problem. I remember our form tutor telling us that he was only the second person in the country to have this done in modern times, and the other person was at my school also.

At the time I didn't realise how unusual this was.

I remember the skin grew back over but you could see a bit of a dimple where the hole was. If you asked nicely he would let you touch it!

Does anybody know if this is all correct? Is treppaning carried out today? More to the point was it carried out then, about 1989? I know it was done at a proper hospital, Bristol I think. And was under the instruction of a doctor not a 'new age' doctor.

I would be interested to know anything about this and If I met someone truely unusual!
 
trepanning is still carried out today by medicos to releve blood pressure on the brain, and by badly dressed tree huggers for enlightenment.

Google 'trepanning today' for more info

I read a mint article by a man who did it with his girlfriend and an electric drill. His discription of the 'gurgling sound' when the drill broke through was something I wont forget.

he swore it raised his conciousness

treppanning (sic) by the way is something to do with making bits of telescopes
 
I seem to remember there's already a thread on this...but I didn't post to it so what the hell.

Very interesting, this trepanning business. The few brave enough to have done it seem to think it's a great idea - I remember reading someone saying something like 'If marijuana is a 10, this is a 7!'. which sounds pretty weird but certainly noticeable. They have theories about how it lets a third more blood into your head with each pump of the heart by stopping the skull being sealed. But then I suppose if you've got someone to drill a hole in your head it may be a bit embarassing to admit it's had no effect at all.

There must be a doctor or two out there. Or someone who knows a doctor, at least. Is this even remotely conceivable?

Good info here:
http://www.trepan.com/home.html

and here come the sceptics:
http://skepdic.com/trepanation.html

Oh yes ethelred, I remember that particular account. Wasn't it like "I wasn't sure if I'd got all the way through the skull and membrane, so I gave it a last shove and the drillbit went in an extra inch and a half and blood gouted across the room. I knew that'd do it!" Uhhhhh. The idea of someone messing with my brain is deeply nasty, although intriguing - might a well-placed drillbit make me forget the smell of wet dog or something equally random?

Despite all this, I rather fancy it in a perverse way. Apparently there's a qualified surgeon in Mexico city who'll do it for a bit of your cash. Or do any of you lot fancy a go? I've got me own drill and everything!
 
I did some research for a project on this a few years ago. It seems that it's still done, and there seem to be peolpe out there who just do it for the high. I even remember this one website that was gushing about all the things it could do for you. They even sold a DIY home trepanning kit. I could never figure out if the site was serious or a spoof.
 
IIRC John Lennon tried to get the other 3 Beatles to have
it done with him... this was shortly before the group broke up.

Drilling holes in your head...*shiver*
TVgeek
 
I have merged this thread with an earlier one.

Go to page 1 to read the earlier posts.
 
footage

i saw the footage of that woman drilling the hole in her head on The Learning Channel a few nights ago. she used no anesthesia.

the only thing that keeps our brains from growing is the size of our skulls; remove a section of your skull and you have room for growth. crudely simple.
 
Isn't that just asking for trouble, putting sharp things through your skull?
 
brainpan

if man were meant to fool with his brain(in that way), God would have made our skulls like sardine tins.
 
I was just thinking about The War of the Worlds, and the reference to the top of the cylinder unscrewing and falling off, and a huge quivering mass climbing out...
 
Inverurie Jones said:
I was just thinking about The War of the Worlds, and the reference to the top of the cylinder unscrewing and falling off, and a huge quivering mass climbing out...

LOL! Just like in Hannibal! Although pioneered by Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr (Steve Martin) in The Man with Two Brains (The revolutionary Screw-Top Method of Brain Surgery).
 
Venkman: This reminds me of the time you tried to drill a hole in your head.

Spengler: It would've worked if you'd let me finish.
 
they keep brain surgery patients awake so they can confer with them back and forth that they are still "working".
 
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