OPERATION OF TREPANNING. 43 
legs, while a third actually pressed with both knees 
his whole weight upon the back, where the bones 
appeared displaced. It was not far from Mr. 
BarfF’s house where the accident occurred, and, 
observing the people assembled, he went to inquire 
the cause, and saw them thus engaged. On his 
asking what they were doing, they coolly replied, 
that they were only straightening the man’s back, 
wdiich had been broken with carrying stones. 
The vertebrae appeared to be replaced; they bound 
a long girdle repeatedly round his body, led him 
home, and, without any other treatment, he was 
in a short time able to resume his employment. 
The operation of trepanning they sometimes 
attempted, and say they have practised it with suc¬ 
cess. It is reported that there are persons living 
in the island of Borabora on whom it has been 
performed, or at least an operation very much 
resembling it: the bones of the skull having been 
fractured in battle, they have cleared away the 
skin and coverings, and, having removed the frac¬ 
tured piece of bone, have carefully fitted in a piece 
of cocoa-nut shell, and replaced the covering and 
skin ; on the healing of which, the man has 
recovered. I never saw any individual who had 
undergone this operation, but, from the concur¬ 
rent testimony of the people, I have no doubt they 
have performed it. 
It is also related, although I confess I can 
scarcely believe it, that on some occasions, when 
the brain has been injured as well as the bone, 
they have opened the skull, taken out the injured 
portion of the brain, and, having a pig ready, have 
killed it, taken out the pig’s brains, put them in 
the man’s head, and covered them up. They 
persist in stating that this has been done ; but 
