I heard the other day that there was a show on about a mummy found in ... Central America? I think that's where it was. Interesting thing was, there was a solid silver coil, sort of like a decreasing-radius spring, threaded around the top of the femur. The bone had grown parially around it. Seems pretty sure it was an early hip replacement.

This goes along with previously found remains of skulls with large, regular openings in them that had partially healed, leading to the inescapable conclusion that early civilizations practiced brain surgery. Only speculation on whether they actually knew enough about brain physiology to have improved anything. But anyone who can open the skull and then close it, and the patient survives long enough for the hole to heal, knows something about biology.

I don't doubt that they did think in terms of "letting the evil spirits out." But you say that as though you don't think any of our current medical practices will one day be looked at as barbaric superstition. (Hmm, wasn't there a scene about this very thing in one of the Start Trek movies? Why yes, I believe there was.)

And I meant closing the incision, not the hole in the skull. I'll try to be more clear next time I'm writing to such a pedantic audience.

But at least my grammar and speeling was correct.