• Emanuela Gualdi-Russo, Pauline Lefebvre, and Julie Arnaud.
• Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy. Electronic address: emanuela.gualdi@unife.it.
• World Neurosurg. 2024 Oct 1; 190: 131140131-140.

AbstractThe trepanation, a surgical procedure performed on the skull, finds its roots in prehistoric times. This investigation delves into the analysis of the trepanned skulls housed at the Musée de l'Homme in Paris, focusing on those found in France, a region abundant in archaeological evidence of early neurosurgical techniques. With the opportunity to scrutinize these human remains, our study aimed to analyze the dimensions of Neolithic trepanations across 41 skulls. We particularly explored the relationships between minimum and maximum hole diameters, revealing a strong interrelation. Additionally, we successfully applied a straightforward protocol to determine the perforation area in ten Neolithic trepanations. These findings shed light on the medical practices of ancient civilizations, particularly in France during the Neolithic era. Moreover, this study underscores the significance of museum collections as valuable resources for scientific inquiry and the historical understanding of medicine.Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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