Palla Ákos szerk.: Az Országos Orvostörténeti Könyvtár közleményei 36. (Budapest, 1965)

N. P. Makletsova, V. V. Guinzburg, D. G. Rokhlin (Leningrád): Trepanation in Fossil Skulls found in the USSR Territory

lamina in G skulls, smaller than in the interior lamina in 1 skull, and equal in size in 3 skulls. In village Berezhnovka (Volgograd district) 2 skulls were found in a barrow petaining to the III—II millennium B. C. In the skull that had belonged to a youth, there is a circularly shaped trepanation hole its diameter being 35 mm; it is situated in the region of the left parietal bone. The diploë is not encased, there are no reactive changes, no protective plate is observed. (Fig. 4). The second skull belongs to a man aged 45—50. In the region of the parietal bones there is a defect 2/3 of which are in the region of the left parietal bone, and 1/3 is in the region of the right parietal bone. The hole is oblong, 51 mm long, and 39 mm wide. The diploë in the region of the hole is open. Apparently trepanation was made to obtain an amulet. (Fig. 5). The skull, found in the Kazakh S.S.R., belongs to a female of about 18 years old who lived in the II—IV ce. A. D. (Fig. 6). There are two holes located in the region of the parietal bones on both sides of the sagittal suture. On the left, the hole is 35 mm from the sagittal suture, and on the right — 22 mm from the latter. The hole is circular with a diameter of 10 mm. The edges of the defect are jagged in the interior lamina, and smooth in the exterior lamina. The diploë is open. Trepanation was made in the bare bones of the cranium skeleton since the two apertures are symmetrically located with respect to the coronary suture, at the level where the zigzag span of the suture line widens. Thus in various regions of the present territory of the USSR, trepanation of the skull was performed as early as in the mesolithic epoch, as well as in later periods. Trepanation was made, in some cases, in the lifetime of the individuel, and in other cases posthumously. The fact that the trepanation opening has been found completely healed, a protective plate entirely encasing the diploë, gives siffucient ground to suppose that individuals subjected to trepanation lived for no less than several years following surgical treatment. It proved impossible to find out for what conditions trepanation was made. There is no doubt that posthumous trepanation might be generally accounted for by some religious rites and obtaining amulets in particular.