Trepanation

Trepanation is a really big word that means cutting a hole in someone's head.

Long long ago, some people believed that a person's soul or spirit was in their head. They also thought that sometimes the soul or spirit got stuck or blocked and made people sick or crazy. So, they decided to cut a little hole in the skull to let the spirit or soul out or move around more easily.

Now, people mostly do trepanation for health reasons like to relieve pressure in the skull or brain injuries, but it's still a rare and risky surgery. It's done by a doctor who knows how to carefully cut through the skull without hurting the brain. It sounds really scary, but it can help some people feel better.