The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1902-08-05
OF THE SOUTHWEST
BY A F. BoNNEY.

But the strange things discovered
with this body were the little image of
red pipe stone and pipe of the same
material. The pipe was about four
l1caes ioas. Z, liuu,loal III suape, per-
fectly straight, and shaped like unto
cigar holder, form of pipe peculiar to
the south-west and California This
stone, Catlinite, so named in honor of |
John Catlin, the explorer, is found no
where else in the world than the south
west corner of the state of Minnesota;
showing the old time people traded
with other people so far away, But
the most wonderful discovery found in
this or any other cliff dwelling. if not
anywhere in the United States, was a
human skull: typical cliff jewellers,
which had been crushed by blow,
making a hole in the right parietal
bone about 1S2 inches in size, irregular
and narrow in the center But more,
the skull had been trephined and the
patient had recnverad 90 wns oviacnnca
by the callous having grown over the
cut edge of the bone entirel' obliterat.
ing the diploe. A small flake of bone
no larger thar my thumb nail had
grown fast to the inner wall of the
skull projecting for about oEe-half its
diameter into the opening in the hone.
In the ancient graveyards of Peru
are found many skulls showing ire
phining Some Of the natients die5
under the surgeons hands, just they
will persist in doing now days. Some
lived until the callous was partly
formed on the cut edge of the bone;
as my reading and observation goes,
the only instance in the United States
where a skull of an aborigine has been
found showing an attempt to perform
this operation which, with all our skill
and knowledge is considered difficult
and dangerous piece of work, and is,
opine, the very boldest feature of mod
ern surgery.
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tween trephining as practiced by the
! cliff jewellers and the ancient Peru
vians. The latter operated for thau-
maturgic purposes. and, possibly, TO Sc.
cure amuleJs Of Zone. Inelr work was
rude, whether performed on the cada-
yer for mystic purposes or the living
captive whose life was considered
worthless.
To remove the button of bone deep
Longitudinal cuts were made with
stone knife or saw. Two of these
grooves Or cute vc.o ..s- ,, q {, g s.i.. il
shape. While, no doubt, this work
niet conslsveu VI an operation TO secure
charms, or to enhance the prestige of
the shaman of the tribe, who was at
once surgeon, medicine man and priest.
| think it subsequently evolved into an
operation the purpose of which was to
save life.
The one trephined skull found in the
home of the cliff dwellers shows, by
TIE method of work. a purpose only to
free the brain of the impressirg tract
ured bone. Possibly the shorter wall
or angle surface of the cut was sawed:
out the larger plane or floor of the
opening which Joined the other at
nearly right angle, and in which the
wound hole was situated had been
scraped perfectly smooth as was the
surface of the smaller cut. Great care
ha6 been avarnisod woa ov;ao,,~ .. \
by the little fake of hone being LETT to
grow fast to the inner surface of the
skull bone. The man upon whom this
operation had been performed was not
a captive. He was an important mem
Der of the tribe. He lived consider
able length of time after the work had
'heen done r~c~ II '-n'' ~
time of his death the wisdom" teeth
~ccc jj'::-s.. cool.;... W. Jug u o,.o ooue7 VI
the jaws showing him to be less than
thirty years Of age, and when he died
his bones were laid away with those Of
other members of his tribe or family
which would not have been the case
had he been an alien.
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