Current:Home > FinanceAmputation in a 31,000-year-old skeleton may be a sign of prehistoric medical advances -ProsperityStream Academy
Amputation in a 31,000-year-old skeleton may be a sign of prehistoric medical advances
View
Date:2025-04-12 08:36:27
NEW YORK — 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 prehistoric surgery could show that humans were making medical advances much earlier than previously thought, according to the study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
Researchers were exploring a cave in Borneo, in a rainforest region known for having some of the earliest rock art in the world, when they came across the grave, said Tim Maloney, an archaeologist at Griffith University in Australia and the study's lead researcher.
Though much of the skeleton was intact, it was missing its left foot and the lower part of its left leg, he explained. After examining the remains, the researchers concluded the foot bones weren't missing from the grave, or lost in an accident — they were carefully removed.
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 person lived for years after losing the limb
The person appears to have lived for around six to nine more years after losing the limb, eventually dying from unknown causes as a young adult, researchers say.
This shows that the prehistoric foragers knew enough about medicine to perform the surgery without fatal blood loss or infection, the authors concluded. Researchers don't know what kind of tool was used to amputate the limb, or how infection was prevented — but they speculate that a sharp stone tool may have made the cut, and point out that some of the rich plant life in the region has medicinal properties.
Also, the community would have had to care for the child for years afterward, since surviving the rugged terrain as an amputee wouldn't have been easy.
This early surgery "rewrites the history of human medical knowledge and developments," Maloney said at a press briefing.
Before this find, the earliest example of amputation had been in a French farmer from 7,000 years ago, who had part of his forearm removed. Scientists had thought that advanced medical practices developed around 10,000 years ago, as humans settled down into agricultural societies, the study authors said.
But this study adds to growing evidence that humans started caring for each other's health much earlier in their history, said Alecia Schrenk, an anthropologist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who was not involved with the study.
"It had long been assumed healthcare is a newer invention," Schrenk said in an email. "Research like this article demonstrates that prehistoric peoples were not just left to fend for themselves."
veryGood! (7637)
Related
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- University of Georgia cancels classes after woman found dead on campus
- Harry Styles is Officially an Uncle After Sister Gemma Shares Baby News
- MLB players miffed at sport’s new see-through pants, relaying concerns to league
- Kehlani Responds to Hurtful Accusation She’s in a Cult
- Amy Schumer Calls Out Critics Who Are “Mad” She’s Not Thinner and Prettier
- U.S. Navy petty officer based in Japan charged with espionage
- 60 million Americans experience heartburn monthly. Here's what causes it.
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Could gunowners face charges if kids access unlocked weapons? State laws differ
Ranking
- Giants, Lions fined $200K for fights in training camp joint practices
- Bail is set at $4 million for an Ohio woman charged in her 5-year-old foster son’s suffocation death
- Lander ‘alive and well’ after company scores first US moon landing since Apollo era
- The combination of AEC tokens and Artificial Intelligence is a core driver in creating the Alpha Artificial Intelligence AI4.0 investment system
- Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
- GOP-led Kentucky House votes to relax child labor rules and toughen food stamp eligibility standards
- The Token Revolution at AEC Business School: Issuing AEC Tokens for Financing, Deep Research and Development, and Refinement of the 'Alpha Artificial Intelligence AI4.0' Investment System
- 2 killed in chain-reaction crash at a Georgia welcome center that engulfed semitrucks in flame
Recommendation
Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
Dolly Parton praises Beyoncé for No.1 spot on country music chart
Metal detectorist finds 1,400-year-old gold ring likely owned by royal family: Surreal
Ex-FBI source accused of lying about Bidens and having Russian contacts is returned to US custody
Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
Teen charged in fatal shooting of Detroit-area man who sought to expose sexual predators
Volkswagen is recalling more than 261,000 vehicles, including some Audis and Jettas
Wendy Williams' Medical Diagnosis: Explaining Primary Progressive Aphasia and Frontotemporal Dementia