Trepanation, Trephining and Craniotomy. History and Stories (Softcover)

PART I. INTRODUCTION. TREPAN, TREPHINE AND CRANIOTOMYChapter 1.An overview.Chapter 2.Semantic features.

PART II. MAGIC TIMES. TREPANATION IN PRIMITIVE CULTURESChapter 3.Facts and myths of primitive trepanations.Chapter 4.Techniques and tools for primitive trepanations.Chapter 5.The question of survival in primitive trepanations.Chapter 6.Historical and geographical areas of primitive trepanations.

PART III. ORIGINS. TREPANATION IN CLASSICAL MEDITERRANEAN CULTURESChapter 7.The first documented reports of the surgical trepanations appear in the Corpus Hippocraticum. Greco-Roman trepanations.Chapter 8.Greco-Roman surgical instruments for trepanations.Chapter 9.Greco-Roman techniques and indications of trepanation.

PART IV. DARK TIMES. TREPANATION IN THE MIDDLE AGESChapter 10.Cranial trepanation during the Middle Ages.

PART V. LIGHTS AND SHADOWS. TREPANATION AND TREPHINE IN MODERN EUROPEAN CULTURESChapter 11.Surgical instruments for trepanation and trephine in Modern Age.Chapter 12.State -of-the-art' of the trepanation during the sixteenth-seventeenth centuries.Chapter 13.Relevant French, Italian and Spanish surgeons in trepanation over the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.Chapter 14.Other relevant European surgeons in trepanation over the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.Chapter 15.Trepanation out of Europe: New World and Japan.Chapter 16.Trepanation during the eighteenth century. To trepan or not to trepan.Chapter 17.Trepanation during the nineteenth century.Chapter 18.Trepanation at war times. Napoleonic Wars and North American Civil War.Chapter 19.The question of the high mortality of trepanation and trephine.Chapter 20.Evolution of the surgical technique of the trepanation and trephine in Modern Age.Chapter 21.Evolution of the surgical instruments for trepanation and trephine in Modern Age.Chapter 22.Evolution of the indications for trepanation and trephine in Modern Age.Chapter 23.`State-of the-art' of the cranial opening in the second half of the nineteenth century.Chapter 24.Trepanation and trephine in Modern Age: Illustrative cases.

PART VI. MODERN TIMES. HISTORY OF THE CRANIOTOMYChapter 25.Wilhelm Wagner's (1848-1900) temporary cranial resection and its initial improvements.Chapter 26.Surgeons between the old trepanation and the new craniotomy.Chapter 27.Eugene Louis Doyen (1859-1916), an innovative French surgeon and enthusiastic on the craniotomy.Chapter 28.Surgical instruments for craniotomy and the victory of the humble Gigli's saw.Chapter 29.Initial development: manual osteoplastic craniotomy.Chapter 30.Late development: powered osteoplastic craniotomy.Chapter 31.Evolution of indications of craniotomy.Chapter 32.Craniotomy at war times. World War I and World War II.Chapter 33.Craniotomy: Illustrative cases.Chapter 34.`State-of -the art' of the craniotomy in the early twenty-first century and future developments.

This book takes readers on a journey around the world and through time, accompanied by a modern neurosurgeon who reviews historical techniques and instruments used for cranial opening. The author draws on original medical and surgical books to provide a comprehensive history of these techniques and tools.

To complement the general overview and offer readers a more `hands-on' sense of context and atmosphere, extensive historical references, stories, media news and illustrative cases have been included for each historical and geographical scenario. In addition, original illustrations and plates of these archaic instruments and techniques are supplied.

Neurosurgical surgeons, nurses, technicians, medical historiographers, paleo-pathologists and researchers interested in surgical techniques for cranial opening will find the volume a valuable guide, intended to increase the historical and cultural awareness of this core topic in neurological surgery.

Dr. Gonzalez- Darder received his medical degree in Medicine and Surgery from the Medical School of the Literary University of Valencia in 1977 and completed his training as neurosurgeon in the Hospital Clinico Universitario de Valencia in 1982.

He held the highest honors in the M.D. and Ph.D. degree exams and was admitted as Membership of the Academy of Medicine ofValencia. From 1982 to 1992, he held a position as Neurosurgeon and Professor of Neurosurgery in the Hospital and MedicalSchool of Medicine of the University of Cadiz. He was director of the Investigation Group 3080 of the Junta de Andalucia, Vice-Deanof the Medical School and Head of the Central Service of Investigation of the University of Cadiz.

In 1992 moved to Castellon as Head of the Department of Neurosurgery of the Hospital General de Castellon. Since 2007, Dr. Gonzalez-Darder has headed the Department of Neurosurgery at the Hospital Clinico Universitario of Valencia and served as an Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at the Department of Surgery, University of Valencia.

He is author and coauthor of more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and three books, he was accredited as Chairman in the Health Science Area by the Ministry of Education of the Spanish Government in 2013.