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. 2007 Jun;27(3):151-6.

Craniotomy through the ages

G Sperati  1
Affiliations

Craniotomy through the ages

G Sperati. Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital. 2007 Jun.
No abstract available

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Prehistoric skull showing signs of craniotomy. Regrowth of bone on the borders demonstrates survival of the person for several years after the operation (from Coury 5).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
“De fractura calvae” was published by Berengario, in 1518, at the request of his pupils after he had successfully treated the occipital wound of Lorenzo de’ Medici, Duke of Urbino. All the instruments used for the craniotomy are described in the volume.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
The drill devised by Berengario da Carpi. The mobile rod, to which a considerable number of interchangeable tips could be attached, is at an angle.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
The volume on surgery by Giovanni Andrea Dalla Croce contains some very interesting drawings which illustrate how drilling of the skull was performed in the 16th Century.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Instruments for trephining used in the 18th Century (from Heister 13).
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Trephining following the cross incision made on the superficial tissues. From the Encyclopaedia by Diderot and D’Alambert (1751-1772).
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
Instruments used in trephining of the skull by G.A. Brambilla, Head Surgeon of the Austrian Imperial Army and Consellor to the Emperor Josef II (Museo di Storia della Scienza, Florence).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The bow drill commonly used by the Egyptians in the XVIII dynasty, 1400 years BC. (National Museum in Cairo).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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References

    1. Sigerist HE. A History of Medicine. Oxford: University Press; 1951.
    1. Major RH. A History of Medicine. Trad. it. Firenze: Sansoni; 1959.
    1. Broca P. Sur la trépanation du crane et les amulettes craniennes à l’époque néolithique. Paris: Leroux; 1889.
    1. Championniere LJ. Les origines de la trépanation decompressive. Paris: Plon; 1912.
    1. Coury C. La médicine de l’Amerique Precolombienne. Paris: Dacosta; 1969.

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