Friday 15 May 2009

Evidence of Brain Surgery in China Dating back 5 000 years (2001)

Recent Archaeological Find: Evidence of Brain Surgery Dating back 5 000 years (excerpts)

Living in the period of Dawenkou culture, China's ancient ancestors had successfully carried out cranial surgery over 5 000 years ago. Shandong Province officials exhibited a skull as evidence and made public this astonishing discovery. The skull was discovered in 1995 by the Shandong Archaelogical Institute while undertaking excavation of a gravesite located at the Fujia Dawenkou cultural relics site in Guangrao County. According to an analyis of Shandong's prehistoric archaeological and genealogical records , in addition to data gathered through Carbon-14 dating, the skull belonged to a man in the formative years of life who lived during the middle period of the Dawenkou cultural era. The Qilu Evening Post reported that Shandong's Provincial Historical and Archealogical Institute invited archaeological experts to authenticate and classify human bone samples from the Fujia archaeoligical site in March of this year. At that time, experts discovered a circular depression measuring 31 mm by 25 mm near the back of the right parietal bone. They believe that the patient had probably lived for a long period of time after the craniotomy.

Wang Liling (China Newsnet 2001-06-27) Translated by Chris Harry

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