The 31,000-year-old skeleton of a young adult found in a cave in Indonesia that is missing its left foot and part of its left leg reveal the oldest known evidence of an amputation, according to a new study.
Scientists say the amputation was performed when the person was a child — and that the"patient" went on to live for years as an amputee.
The remaining leg bone showed a clean, slanted cut that healed over, Maloney said. There were no signs of infection, which would be expected if the child had gotten its leg bitten off by a creature like a crocodile. And there were also no signs of a crushing fracture, which would have been expected if the leg had snapped off in an accident.
The 31,000 year-old-skeleton discovered in a cave in East Kalimantan, Borneo Indonesia, is photographed at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia, Sept. 1, 2022. This shows that the prehistoric foragers knew enough about medicine to perform the surgery without fatal blood loss or infection, the authors concluded.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Stone Age skeleton missing foot may show oldest amputationA skeleton from 31,000 years ago may be the earliest evidence found of amputation surgery in humans.
Read more »
Prehistoric child’s amputation is oldest surgery of its kindSkeleton missing lower left leg and dated to 31,000 years ago provides the earliest known evidence for surgical limb removal.
Read more »
Scientists find evidence of oldest known surgery, from 31,000 years agoArchaeologists have uncovered the remains of a young hunter-gatherer in Borneo who survived the amputation of the lower left leg around 31,000 years ago, in a discovery that could rewrite the history of surgery.
Read more »
Amputation in a 31,000-year-old skeleton may be a sign of prehistoric medical advancesThe skeleton of a young adult found in a cave in Indonesia that is missing its left foot and part of its left leg reveal the oldest known evidence of an amputation, according to a new study.
Read more »
Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid SurgeriesSurgery for uterine fibroids can often be done through minimally invasive techniques that avoid a hospital stay. But Black and Hispanic women may be less likely to receive these treatments, a recent study finds.
Read more »