Trepanation: While the word sounds somewhat alarming, it is not actually related to "trépas," the French word for "demise." The expression has its origins in the word trépan, a type of brace used to drill through bones, particularly the skull. It remains unsettling, especially when associated with one of the most experienced and popular political figures of the time, namely, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

On Monday, December 9, severe head pain sent the left-wing leader to the emergency room. The president, who is due to celebrate the second anniversary of his return to power on January 1, had to undergo the infamous trepanation procedure to drain a hematoma between the skull and the brain. Airlifted from Brasilia to Sao Paulo for treatment at one of the country's top hospitals, he underwent two hours of surgery in the middle of the night.

The medical intervention followed a domestic accident on October 19. Having suffered a severe fall in his bathroom while "cutting his nails," Lula then violently struck the occipital region of his head just above the nape of the neck. "There was a lot of blood. I thought I'd cracked my brain," said the president, who received five stitches and was laid up for three weeks. Doctors treating the Brazilian president took him out of intensive care on Friday, but kept him hospitalized.

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