It's only been about 100 years since effective neurosurgery could be practiced on patients. The ABC special Secrets of the Mind showed the strange alchemy between blunt force and what seems like magic in today's procedures.

The contrast between the simple, effective use of drills and the relative high tech of running wires through a brain to measure waves is astounding, and yet the doctors remain cool under pressure. It's at once terrifying and comforting to know how routine this is for them.

If the thought of someone hammering a nail into your head disturbs you, you might want to watch this through the fingers you are using to cover your head and make sure you never ever let anyone hammer a nail into you.

[There was a video here]