While preparing a lecture on evidence based medicine, I decided to find an old medical practice that is now considered quackery. Trepanation, the practice of drilling a hole in the skull to expose the brain, seemed to fit the bill, and off I went to find a suitably gory image to keep the students awake. Which is when I came across the modern advocates of trepanation, the “International Trepanation Advocacy Group – Third Eye Innocent & Open Wide”. Some people even do it to themselves – with interesting results.
After some time there was an ominous sounding schlurp and the sound of bubbling. I drew the trepan out and the gurgling continued. It sounded like air bubbles running under the skull as they were pressed out. I looked at the trepan and there was a bit of bone in it. At last!
Of course, most rational people will not consider this a sensible use of their Black and Decker drill, but this is, according to one advocate, a sort of false consciousness about the nature of trepanation.
According to Huges, the trepanation led him to a higher state of consciousness. (The mescaline he took just after drilling the hole in his head had nothing to do with it.)
Huges claimed that as a result of this operation he became “permanently high.” Huges also claims that people who think trepanation is a load of crap are simply suffering from ill-effects caused by lack of trepanation. If the skeptics just had holes drilled in their heads, they’d understand.
Convenient.