Oldest surgical procedure

Trepanation, the process of removing bone from the cranial vault, is the oldest surgical procedure practiced by mankind. The oldest unequivocal evidence of trepanation was found at a 7,000 year old burial site at Ensisheim, France, and belonged to a 50 year old man. Trepanation was apparentely used to either relieve pressure on the brain, a practice that is still an accepted medical procedure, or to release evil spirits. Some African communities, including the Kisii of Westren Kenya, continue this practice to this day. A section of skull may be extracted with flint or metal blades by drilling a series of small holes or scraping through the bone. Some people believe trepanation is the way to a 'higher consciousness'.