this post was submitted on 26 Dec 2023
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2,000-year-old skull of a Peruvian warrior found to be fused together by metal (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 years ago by TheLobotomist@lemmy.world to c/bewowed@lemmy.world
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Experts from a US museum believe it could be one of the oldest examples of advanced surgery. The Museum of Osteology in Oklahoma said the skull is reported to have been that of a man who was injured in battle before undergoing surgery to implant a piece of metal in his head to repair a fracture.

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[–] SonnyVabitch@lemmy.world 77 points 2 years ago (3 children)

They discounted the idea because

Surprising as it may seem, the patient survived the procedure, as evidenced by the fact that bone surrounding it fused together.

This rarely happens when they pour molten metal on the head, according to medical experts.

(source: Snopes)

[–] Nobody@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

Couldn’t they have cast it and put the patch in after it cooled?

[–] poppy@lemm.ee 2 points 2 years ago

Thanks for the link, it also answered my question about the shape of the skull.

Yes, this is a real human skull that is thousands of years old. Elongation was achieved through head binding beginning at a very young age. It was typically practiced to convey social status by various cultures.

[–] Dave@lemmy.nz 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Thanks! I wasn't seriously considering that it may have happened, just reminded me of movies (as I mentioned) and was keen to read more as no source was linked.