How Trepanation Worked

# Stuff You Should Know - Trepanation Episode

In this fascinating deep dive, Josh and Chuck explore one of humanity's oldest surgical procedures: trepanation, or drilling holes into the skull. They trace the practice back to 8,000 years ago during the Stone Age, revealing that ancient peoples were remarkably skilled at this procedure with survival rates that actually put medieval European surgeons to shame. The guys examine compelling evidence from skulls found across the globe, explore the various reasons people might have performed this surgery (everything from treating head injuries to releasing demons), and break down the actual techniques used to create these holes with stone tools. It's a wild journey through medical history that challenges our assumptions about ancient civilizations and shows they were far more medically sophisticated than we typically give them credit for.