Six clinically trepanned cranial specimens from five Chinese archaeological sites ranging from 5000 to 2000 BP are briefly described. They come from Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages sites in Shandong, Qinghai, Henan and Heilongjiang provinces. The successfully trepanned examples described in this paper reveal that this primitive surgical operation had remarkable therapeutic effects. The earliest example in this study is that of the Dawenkou individual from about 5000 BP. The meticulous treatment revealed by this operation is most impressive.
