在过去的50年中,Galen对医学和外科艺术的贡献的重要性已得到越来越多的认可。尽管他犯了错误,他对医学和外科实践的贡献是深远的。在目前的情况下,他在颅骨手术器械和技术方面的教导将在一千年半的时间里继续产生影响。他的技术建议是正确的。他关于供应中枢神经系统的血管解剖结构的错误并没有太大的后果,因为中枢神经系统直到19世纪末仍无法通过手术进入。他将骨折重新分类为延伸到二倍体或通过内部桌子。此外,它们可以很简单,粉碎了,沮丧,或升高。他没有提到适应症或临床改变,另一方面,他对颅骨手术所需的仪器有许多明智的评论。如下所示,他引用了他的继任者的决定的理由。重大错误与他对颅骨及其缝线的解剖结构的描述有关。他对颅骨附件的担忧,希波克拉底对其固有弱点的担忧增加了缝合线的血管成分和排泄功能,这导致了钻孔应避免这些结构的教导。这对钻孔开口的放置具有限制作用,这对患者没有益处。此外,他对放血的热情也有助于加强希波克拉底在这个问题上的教学,对任何人都没有好处。
Over the last 50 years the significance of Galen\'s contributions to the arts of medicine and surgery have been increasingly recognized. Despite his errors, his contributions to medical and surgical practice have been profound. In the present context, his teachings on cranial surgical instruments and technique would continue to be influential throughout one and a half millenia. His technical advice was sound. His error about the anatomy of blood vessels supplying CNS were not of much consequence since the CNS would remain surgically inaccessible until the end of the 19th century. He reclassified fractures as extending to the diploe or through the internal table. Moreover, they could be simple, comminuted, depressed, or elevated. He did not mention indications or clinical changes, on the other hand he had many sensible remarks to make on the instrumentation required for cranial surgery. As will be seen in what follows, he was much quoted in justification of the decisions of his successors. The major errors of significance related to his description of the anatomy of the cranium and its sutures. His concern about the cranial attachment, vascular components and excretory functions of the sutures added to Hippocrates\' concerns about their inherent weakness resulted in the teaching that trepanation should avoid these structures. This was to have a limiting effect on the placement of trepanation openings which was of no benefit to the patients. Moreover, his enthusiasm for bloodletting would also serve to potentiate Hippocrates teaching on this matter, to the advantage of nobody.