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November 30, 2009
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Surgery Home

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Surgery - Topic Summary
Brain surgery was started millions of years ago. Starting from Neolithic (late Stone Age), ancient people had tried to work on the brain. Neolithic skulls from around the world showed holes on them trepanned. The holes have smooth edges and exhibit obvious signs of healing on them. Trepanning was practiced until comparatively recent times in Europe. Discovered remains under the earth of successful brain operations and also surgical equipment were found in France. It is shown that ancient people already had an idea to heal the brain by surgical treatment. In nowadays, people continue to work on brain surgery. How much do you know about the history of brain surgery? What are brain tumors? How many different kinds of brain tumors are there? How are we going to treat them?

Brain tumors may not be cancers. They are different from other tumors. They grow only in the brain itself, and nearly never travel beyond the brain. Brain tumors involve the whole brain. Although they seem to grow nearby, yet tumor cells go around the brain and they can even be found on the opposite side of the brain and are always found beyond the tumor margins. True tumor margins are not existed. If we want to completely remove the brain tumors by local therapy, such as surgery, heat, cold or radiation are not possible at all. Brain tumors do not metastasize. Treatment should be limited solely to the brain. Brain tumors can be divided into 2 groups - malignant or nonmalignant. Malignant, or high-grade tumors have cancer cells in them. They grow quickly and attack the healthy tissue around them. Gradually a malignant tumor will damage or destroy the normal cells and interfere with their functions. They are hazardous. On the other hand, nonmalignant, or low-grade tumors can also attack the surrounding tissue, or coexist with the normal cells. Malignant tumors can cause severe neurological injuries, such as seizures, memory loss or behavioral changes. They can interfere with the regular and vital brain functions. Some of the malignant brain tumors are dangerous.


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Remove this Quote bar "Is the brain, which is notably double in structure, a double organ, 'seeming parted, but yet a union in partition'? " -- H. Maudsley (from The Double Brain, 1889)

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Last updated: Thursday, September 6, 2001 5:03 PM

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What was trepanning for in prehistoric period?
It was a treatment for headaches.
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