Historical aspects regarding transorbital intracranial penetrating injury (TIPI)

Abstract

The history of this injury extends at least as far back as the story of David and Goliath in the Bible, 1 Samuel 17, verse 49. In that tale, David fells Goliath with a stone from a slingshot, hitting him on the forehead, causing the 2.78-m giant (“6 cubits and one span”) to fall to the ground. The circumstances as pictured in the famous Dutch children’s Bible by W. G. van der Hulst (Figure 6), however, cannot be correct. A stone thrown with that velocity could hardly have penetrated Goliath’s thick frontal bone, let alone injured one or both frontal lobes. Even with a stone into a frontal lobe, Goliath would not have fallen down immediately. In addition, according to 1 Samuel 17, verse 5, Goliath was wearing a copper helmet, which most likely also covered his forehead.