In 1964, a Dutch librarian drilled a hole in his own skull to get permanently high

In nineteen sixty-four, Dutch librarian Bart Huges underwent an unusual experiment: he drilled a hole in his own skull. According to Boing Boing, Huges had been denied his medical degree from Amsterdam over his advocacy for marijuana. He then published a theory proposing that trepanation — drilling a hole in the skull — could enhance brain function by balancing blood and cerebral spinal fluid. Acting on his convictions, he performed the procedure on himself, creating one of history's more remarkable acts of personal conviction in pursuit of his theory.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton