72 Mr. V. Horsleff on Brain Surgery in the Stone Ages, [March 4, 



WEEKLY EVENING MEETING, 



Friday, March 4, 1887. 



Sir William Bowman, Bart. LL.D. F.R.S. Manager and Vice- 

 Presidentj in the Chair. 



Victor Horsley, Esq. F.R.S. B.S. F.R.C.S. 



Brain Surgery in the Stone Ages. 



The title of this discourse fairly expressed its scope, for the practice 

 by the people of the neolithic period of resorting to surgery for the 

 relief of mischief to the brain was fully detailed. 



It seemed scarcely necessary to do more than briefly refer to the 

 gradual advance of civilisation through the stages of stone, bronze, 

 and iron ; but it was pointed out that while the Greeks at the time 

 of their siege of Troy had only half learnt how to use iron, the 

 northern nations of Europe were still in the stone period. Neither 

 did it appear necessary to do more than briefly allude to the general 

 habits of neolithic people, save to draw attention to the fact, that 

 whatever be its explanation, the instances in which trephining was 

 practised in the stone age occur more frequently in the centre of 

 France than anywhere else in Europe. The deliberate nature of 

 the operation, as exemplified in the skulls hitherto discovered, was 

 proved by the position of the openings, their being in the majority of 

 instances healed, and by the extremely interesting discovery of the 

 fact that the portions of bone cut out were not only preserved as 

 amulets, but also put back again into such a trephined head at the 

 time of death. From a comparison of the modes of trephining per- 

 formed by savage and mediaeval nations, it was proved that the stone 

 age people opened the skull either by drilling, scraping, or sawing, 

 most probably by the last method. Similarly it was shown from a 

 study of the seat of operation, that in all probability recourse to 

 surgery was suggested by the symptoms of depressed fracture, and 

 notably by the symptoms of traumatic epilepsy. 



