LOC's Public Domain Archive
The objects in this archive are from Library of Congress - the nation’s first established cultural institution and the largest library in the world, with millions of items including books, recordings, photographs, maps and manuscripts in its collections. The Library provides Congress, the federal government and the American people with a rich, diverse and enduring source of knowledge to inform, inspire and engage them and support their intellectual and creative endeavors.
Disclaimer: A work of the Library of Congress is "a work prepared by an officer or employee" of the federal government "as part of that person's official duties." In general, under section 105 of the Copyright Act, such works are not entitled to domestic copyright protection under U.S. law and are therefore in the public domain. This website is developed as a part of the world's largest public domain archive, PICRYL.com, and not developed or endorsed by the Library of Congress, https://www.picryl.com
![Ancient brain surgery. Miss Helen Hecker, secretary to Dr. [...] Curator of Physical Anthropology of the Smithsonian Institution, poses with an ancient trephined skull discovered in Alaska by Dr. Hrdlicka, which is believed to prove that brain surgery was practiced there as long ago as 2,000 years. Dr. Hrdlicka made his discoveries from the lower strata of an ancient settlement on Kodiak Island. He believes that trephining among the Indians was a practical surgical operation, designed to relieve pressure against the brain from a skull fracture, and to remove bone splinters. It also is believed possible that these holes were bored in skulls, at times, to let out evil spirits causing headaches, 11/23/35](https://cache.getarchive.net/Prod/thumb/cdn4/L3Bob3RvLzE5MzUvMDEvMDEvYW5jaWVudC1icmFpbi1zdXJnZXJ5LW1pc3MtaGVsZW4taGVja2VyLXNlY3JldGFyeS10by1kci1jdXJhdG9yLW9mLXBoeXNpY2FsLTY0MC5qcGc%3D/40/31/webp "Ancient brain surgery. Miss Helen Hecker, secretary to Dr. [...] Curator of Physical Anthropology of the Smithsonian Institution, poses with an ancient trephined skull discovered in Alaska by Dr. Hrdlicka, which is believed to prove that brain surgery was practiced there as long ago as 2,000 years. Dr. Hrdlicka made his discoveries from the lower strata of an ancient settlement on Kodiak Island. He believes that trephining among the Indians was a practical surgical operation, designed to relieve pressure against the brain from a skull fracture, and to remove bone splinters. It also is believed possible that these holes were bored in skulls, at times, to let out evil spirits causing headaches, 11/23/35")
