The traditional brain surgery, specifically “Trepanation” of the cranium which is the oldest evidence of brain surgery through the ages have been practiced all over the world.
https://youtu.be/ffM0oj9xEqo
However, like many African practices, the west didn’t know that it was also practiced in sub-Saha
ra Africa. The Busoga tribe of
Uganda and the Kikii tribe of Kenya who carried out the practice up until when it was documented in the 1980s, change the narrative.
They are a well-educated and highly skilled cohort whose endeavors are characterized by o
rder, structure, and precision; fun
ctional features of one of their most revered practitioners. ‘Omobari Omotwe’ is the Kisii word for a head surgeon.
Research has shown that East Africans independently developed and practiced Trepanation at about the same time it was practiced by some other civilizations.
When discussing the history of neurosurgery and craniotomy most parts of the world are mentioned including Germany, China, France, past south pacific civilizations, and so on.
The most documented mention of Africa in the history of brain- or neuro-surgery is the record of neurosurgery found in Edwin Smith’s papyrus discovered in Egypt. The papyrus is
actually a very detailed presentation of s
pinal cord trauma with its mechanism and symptomatology, not Trepanation.
Though the ancient Egyptians knew about trepanation, it was not mentioned in the papyrus. It was concluded that they rarely practiced it, thereby suggesting that the people of Uganda and Kenya developed their practice independently.
These highly knowledgeable men in the medical art of ‘craniotomy’ and highly skilled in those medical practices that bring to bear the practical application of their knowledge are recorded to have practiced their craft with astonishing success long before ‘official’ means of documentation were made feasible.
Omobari understudies a more advanced practitioner who is usually a relative, by years of study and apprenticeship ordered along the lines of increasing difficulty given each assignment, a young Kisii can rise with dedication, determination, and hard work to become Omobari over the years. And this spells out wealth, prestige, and recognition for the said individual and his family.
Omobari’s craft is tailored towards the resolution of; acute cranial trauma and post-traumatic headaches. The cases brought to Omobari tend to have causes rooted in accidents and
violence.
Accidents can range from hittin
g one’s head against the low lintel of a Kisii hut to being struck in the head with a hoe on the farm unintentionally.
Violent actions leading to seeking out the services of Omobari can also range from a severe blow to the head using a blunt object on the field of war and the use of head trauma-inducing ‘weapons’ such as wooden clubs in severe cases of sibling rivalry or disputes among wives.
When a patient is brought before Omobari, he foremost says a prayer for guidance and then palpates the head of the patient to pinpoint the spot on the head where the incision will be made.
Patients are given herbal concoctions before, during and after the operation to; minimize pain, boost immunity, sterilize the open flesh on the head and to stop bleeding and the patient from smelling the scent of blood during the procedure, because it can have a nauseating effect on the patient in question.
The use of herbs thus improves the efficiency and overall effectiveness of the entire procedure. In the case of acute cranial trauma, this is usually caused by a direct blow
to the head by the use of blunt objects as men
tioned earlier.
The destructive effect of such deathly encounters is easily noticeable by the experienced and highly skilled Omobari who quickly but adeptly cuts his way into the skull of the affected area. This is to help remove all fractured bones and smoothen out the fractured edges to allow for the affected area to heal.
All these are done with an astonishing success rate as all those modern medical practices that guarantee success in any surgical procedure are duly and methodically obser
ved by Omobari and his apprentice(s), except within
the parlance of his cultural traditional practice which is equally valid nonetheless.
Cases arising from post-traumatic headaches tend to tow the lines of examining the head critically by Omobari to help him identify which point on the head to open in order to resolve the case in question.
Once Omobari is satisfied with the site located, he employs his homemade tools in digging into the area beneath the skull in his bid to drain out what has been
named; ‘bad blood’.
This is most probably non-circula
ting blood collected in an area beneath the skull that has gone bad. A critical examination of the site is also carried out to make sure there are no fractured bone fragments in the region, as these can puncture delicate blood vessels and lead to the same or more complicated medical conditions.
There is little to no known case of infection over operated areas given Omobari’s art. Furnas et al (1985) reported Omobari and his apprentice(s) as neat and orderly when engaged in their line of duty.
The craniotomy undertaken by Omobari and his team of medical specialists is very effective in the treatment of acute cranial trauma and post-traumatic headaches.
Their Maasai neighbors are known to visit the Kisii Omobari for treatment on occasions. The procedure is again reported by Furnas et al (1985) to have a strong placebo effect.
Thus the Omobari and his team of medical specialists do not only resolve the physiological anomaly associated with reported cases but its psychological dimension as well.
The Afrikan in view of these must make highly conscious efforts to foremost safeguard his continent within which can be found highly advanced practices, and also learn to safeguard him/herself by whom these advanced practices are made manifest.
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