A history of the brain. Part 1, A hole in the head.

The first in a ten-part series in which Dr Geoff Bunn journeys through 5000 years of our understanding of the brain. In this part, he looks back at the practice of trepanation in which holes were drilled into the skull to correct physiological or spiritual problems. Trepanation has been used since neolithic times although the Egyptians rarely used it. As part of the programme, actors read extracts from those who have written about the brain across the ages and an imaginary anatomy lesson features the cranium and the meninges.