THE HISTORY OF TREPHINATION IN AFRICA WITH A DISCUSSION OF ITS CURRENT STATUS AND CONTINUING PRACTICE

Trephination of the skull is one of the most fascinating and, certainl y, one of the oldest therapeutic procedures known to man. After Prunie res' discovery of the trephined skull at Aiguieres in 1868, a plethora of information has been gathered about the procedure. There, however, exits little documentation of African trephination or its history. Us ing both primary and secondary sources, we have discovered that Africa n trephination was known in the time of Herodotus, has a rich history, and is currently practiced widely throughout Africa for specific reas ons. We discuss these findings as they relate to preconceived notions of trephinations in other countries and to the history of neurosurgery .