Drilling holes in the skull allows evil spirits to escape, curing mental illness and behavioural disorders.
Trepanning, practiced for thousands of years, had no medical basis. While some patients survived (evidenced by healed skulls in archaeological records), the procedure caused infections, brain damage, and death. Mental illness is caused by brain chemistry imbalances, trauma, and genetics, not spiritual possession. Modern psychiatry and neuroscience have completely replaced this practice.
Reception
Sources
- Trepanation in Prehistory REFERENCE
- Archaeological Evidence of Surgical Practices PRIMARY