Amputation is the last procedure taken when the limb can no longer be used to save life. So far the earliest evidence of humans performing amputation procedures was found in France. But a team of scientists from Indonesia and Australia have now found evidence that it existed as early as 31,000 years ago.
The skeleton of a teenager from a limestone cave in East Kalimantan shows evidence of the lower part of his left leg being amputated as a child. The leg later recovered and he died 6-9 years after the limb was amputated.
The bone area does not show the trauma of the severed limb due to an accident or wild animal attack because there are no cracks. On the other hand, straight cuts indicate this is a medical procedure that humans performed earlier than previously thought. The study was published in the journal Nature.
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