Deciphered Inca's Inscription on the Stone Tablets Describes Complex Operations Done by Ancient Surgeons with Mushroom-Extracted Anesthetics
Posted on June 3, 2023 • 3 minutes • 543 words
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In a groundbreaking study at Washington University , a team of archaeologists and medical researchers have uncovered an ancient Incan inscription that sheds new light on the medical practices of the pre-Columbian civilization. The inscription, found on stone tablets, describes complex surgical procedures performed by Incan surgeons using mushroom-extracted anesthetics .
The discovery of the tablets sheds new light on Incan medicine, which is believed to have been highly advanced for its time. According to the researchers, the mushroom-extracted anesthetics used by the Incan surgeons were likely made from the fly agaric mushroom , which is known to have psychoactive properties.
This is an incredibly exciting discovery. The tablets describe surgical procedures that were clearly highly advanced for their time, and the fact that the Incans were able to use anesthetic compounds from mushrooms is remarkable.
said Dr. Maria Rodriguez, who led the archaeological team.
The tablets describe a range of surgical procedures, from amputations to skull trepanning. The trepanning procedures were particularly interesting to the researchers. Trepanning involves drilling or scraping a hole into the skull in order to relieve pressure or remove bone fragments. The practice is known to have been performed by ancient civilizations all over the world, but the Incan form of the procedure was particularly advanced.
The Incan surgeons were using a combination of surgical tools and mushroom-extracted anesthetics to perform these procedures, which is really quite remarkable. They were clearly ahead of their time in terms of medical knowledge and skill.
said Dr. Rodriguez.
The discovery of the Incan inscriptions is also shedding new light on the relationship between the Incans and mushrooms. According to the researchers, mushrooms played an important role in Incan culture, and were used for a variety of purposes, from religious rituals to medicine.
The Incan society was intimately connected with the natural world, and especially with mushrooms.We believe that the use of mushroom-extracted anesthetics in surgery was just one of the many ways that the Incans tapped into the power of these remarkable organisms.
said Dr. Rodriguez.
The researchers are now hoping to learn more about the Incan use of mushrooms in medicine, and to explore the potential medical applications of the compounds found in fly agaric mushrooms. While the psychoactive compounds found in these mushrooms are known to be dangerous, the anesthetic properties may have important medical applications.
We’re just scratching the surface of what we can learn from the Incan inscriptions. There’s so much more to discover about this remarkable civilization, and about the role that mushrooms played in their society.
said Dr. Rodriguez.
This groundbreaking study, conducted by a team of archaeologists and medical researchers at Washington University, has uncovered a wealth of information about the medical practices of the ancient Incans. The discovery of the Incan inscriptions sheds new light on the use of anesthetics in pre-Columbian surgery, and opens the door to new research on the medical properties of fly agaric mushrooms.
References
- Ritual drug use during Inca human sacrifices on Ampato mountain (Peru): Results of a toxicological analysis
- A compositional analysis of pottery vessels associated with the Inca ritual of capacocha
- Identification of psychoactive alkaloids in ancient Andean human hair by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry
- Cocaine and metabolites in the hair of ancient Peruvian coca leaf chewers
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