Wierd Word: autotrephination

Posted by Sathyaish on February 21, 2004

Joel Spolsky, an eminent authority on software development, interestingly notes the dearth of presence of this cumbrous and weighty literary token: autotrephination.

www.joelonsoftware.com/ items/2004/02/20.html

Would someone be so informed as to convey the meaning and the history of the word?