Inca skull surgery successes: 13-05-2008
A new study has found the Inca skull surgeons were often successful in removing small parts of bone to treat head injuries.
According to the latest study, a surgical procedure known as trepanation was only performed on adult men - probably because of injuries received during wars.
Remains dating back to AD 1000 were uncovered in the Inca capital of Cuzco and researchers studying the findings show that techniques could have been perfected over time.
Reports in National Geographic indicate that the earliest skulls showed little sign of bone healing meaning that the patient could have died from the operation but improvement in the procedure showed increased levels of survival.
"These people were skilled surgeons," said Valerie Andrushko from Southern Connecticut State University.
It is also likely that the operations were carried out without anaesthetics.
"They were aware of the medicinal properties of many wild plants, including coca and wild tobacco," she added.