Outdated Medical Treatments Used Throughout History

Trepanation

Trepanation, like lobotomies, was another failed attempt to treat severe mental health disorders. However, it also has a host of other uses, some health-related and others not. Trepanation is a surgical procedure where a doctor drills a hole into the skull. This practice spans back over five thousand years, making it one of the oldest known surgical procedures.

Archaeologists all over the world have found skulls with holes bored into them. Some of these skulls show signs of either neurological disease or cranial injury where the hole was made, while others do not pinpoint a reason for performing the procedure. There is also some evidence indicating it was ritualistic, perhaps believed to remove demons. More recently, it has been performed to treat pain or a brain injury. There are some instances where individuals have performed a crude trepanation on their self.