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A case of cranial surgery in the Talmud.

Weinberg A

Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA. ajweinbe@artsci.wustl.edu

The history of Jewish discourse on law and philosophy was transformed from an oral teaching to a written teaching around the beginning of the Common Era. The result of these written laws and commentaries is known today as the Talmud. Many pages of the Talmud discuss illnesses and diseases and their potential treatments, however very few of these potential treatments involve invasive surgery. In one instance, involving a painful skin ailment called ra'aton, the authors of the Talmud suggest cranial surgery as the cure and describe the preparation of a potential anesthetic, the surgery environment, and the removal of a growth. Although this account raises several questions about the ailment itself, it provides us with a rare look at invasive cranial surgery dating back nearly 2,000 years.

Published 12 April 2006 in J Hist Neurosci, 15(2): 102-10.
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