Survival after trepanation-Early cranial surgery from Late Iron Age Switzerland.

Details

Serval ID
serval:BIB_F07E7B613C9C
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Publication sub-type
Case report (case report): feedback on an observation with a short commentary.
Collection
Publications
Title
Survival after trepanation-Early cranial surgery from Late Iron Age Switzerland.
Journal
International journal of paleopathology
Author(s)
Moghaddam N., Mailler-Burch S., Kara L., Kanz F., Jackowski C., Lösch S.
ISSN
1879-9825 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
1879-9817
Publication state
Published
Issued date
12/2015
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
11
Pages
56-65
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article. PDF: Case study
Publication Status: ppublish
Abstract
Trepanation is defined as the intentional perforation of the cranial vault with removal of a piece of skull bone. In Europe, trepanation is known to have been practiced at least since the Neolithic, and it can still be found today in East African native tribes. Two skulls with lesions from the Late Iron Age site Münsingen-Rain (420-240 BC) were investigated. The aim of this study was to analyse the lesions and to determine whether they were caused by surgical interventions. Both individuals were analysed by current morphologic-anthropological methods and radiological examinations were performed with a multislice CT-scanner. Additionally, this work surveys trepanations reported in Switzerland and calculates survival rates. In Switzerland, 34 individuals with trepanations have been published. As a tendency, the survival rate appears to be relatively high from the Neolithic to Late Antiquity but then decreases until Pre-Modern times. The 78% survival rate in Late Iron Age Switzerland indicates that the surgery was often performed successfully. Skull injuries sustained in conflicts could have been a reason for trepanation during the Iron Age.

Keywords
Late Iron Age, Münsingen-Rain, Survival rate, Switzerland, Trepanation
Pubmed
Web of science
Open Access
Yes
Create date
31/10/2017 10:50
Last modification date
20/08/2019 16:18
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