Lathe Cutting Tool for O-ring Grooves (and trepanning)

[Jon]

While cutting an access hole in a skull is a perfectly legitimate modern neurosurgical procedure (also see Craniotomy), trepanning was a ghoulish technique in ancient times, used to create an escape route for skull-dwelling evil spirits. Of course the antique medical trepanning tools are interesting.

[mklotz]

It's worse than that. Many ancient societies, not yet out of the stone age, were trepanning people to release evil spirits. They were using flint knives! We know that this is true because skulls have been found with nice round holes and new bone grown at the circumference of the holes, proving that the patient survived the operation at least for a while. The holes are far too big to have been made by a survivable blow from a weapon. Any weapon large enough to make the hole would have penetrated too far into the brain to be survivable.

Even today, some nutbars think the procedure has beneficial effects and do it when not needed surgically. Full story here...

https://www.damninteresting.com/the-...n-trepanation/

If you're interested in trying this exciting form of self-medication, an antique trepanning brace is available...

https://ahp.apps01.yorku.ca/?p=268

If that's too slow, a Starrett hole saw in a Milwaukee cordless drill will do the job just fine.

[Turboconqueringmegaeagle]

It puts things into perspective, here in the UK complaining about our national health service is a national pastime, maybe those that are unhappy about waiting 4 hours to be seen for a completely avoidable drunken mishap should be relieved of their frustration in this traditional manner.
i'm absolutely full of admiration for our NHS and the many highly skilled folk working for them, having spent a fair bit of time around technicians carrying out ultrasonic non destructive testing on aircraft I thought i knew it all until i got shot in the arse with a high powered air riffle and the ultrasonic technician at hospital followed the entrance hole across my buttock until she found the pellet, marked it with an X and wrote 12mm beside it signifying its depth.