Open Minds

Brandweek,  Oct 30, 2000  by Janis Mara

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On Aug. 17, 1972, diamond setter Pete Halvorson set up a number of mirrors, administered a local anesthetic, picked up a hand drill and bored a hole in his skull.

Why in God's name would he do such a thing?

The answer to this and other trepanation-related questions can be found at www.trepan.com, the Web site of the International Trepanation Advocacy Group. Make no mistake about it: these holier-than-thou folks are dead serious about their avocation, though most of us would say it's needed like, well, a hole in the head.

But perhaps we should be more open-minded (as it were). Halvorson, a Wernersville, Pa., resident who sounds utterly reasonable on the phone, claims that removing a chunk of one's skull "reduces the volume of water surrounding the brain, which then increases the amount of blood available to the brain cells by about an ounce." (By the way, no medical studies exist to support this conclusion.)

According to Halvorson, more blood to the brain means "sharper perception." He says he continues to enjoy the benefits of his trepanation 28 years after he performed it.

However, Halvorson emphasizes that self-trepanation is not to be considered now that his organization has found a doctor in Monterey, Mexico, who will perform the operation. (No U.S. doctor will even consider the possibility.)

It's unclear, however, how many people will be willing to shell out $2,500 for the procedure, plus the cost of airfare and hotel reservations for an excursion that gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, "a truly boring trip." One thing's for sure, though: this is one pursuit that definitely falls into the category of "do not try this at home."

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