As per scientists, an ancient Borneo skeleton found in a remote region rewrites the history of ancient medicine. The remains are evidence of a successful amputation surgery from 31,000 years ago. Read to know more about this shocking discovery.
Borneo skeleton rewrites the history of ancient medicine
Until this discovery, the earliest known amputation was based on evidence from a 7,000-year-old skeleton from France. Hence, it was widely believed that amputation was a medical advancement that occurred in developed agricultural communities. However, 31,000-year-old remains from a remote area of Borneo are set to rewrite the history of ancient medicine.
The remains were discovered in the massive Liang Tebo cave in 2020. The cave is famous for its 40,000-year-old wall paintings. After painstakingly long excavation on the sand, scientists were successful in uncovering a well-preserved skeleton. The discovery was possible despite being surrounded by scorpions, bats, swiftlets, and terns. The skeleton’s left ankle and foot were the only missing feature. However, their purposeful removal is highly likely since the base of the leg had an unusual form. It also revealed a knobbly regrowth after a clean break.
More on the ancient medical understanding
According to the analysis of the tooth and surrounding silt, the skeleton is at least 31,000 years old. It belonged to a human who died at around 20 years of age. Based on the recovered Borneo skeleton, researchers believe the person survived terrible amputation trauma for six to nine years following the procedure. However, they probably did not experience significant post-operative issues. Additionally, based on the healing pattern, the injury is not a result of an animal assault, fall, or crush.
The new findings “rewrite our understanding of the development of this medical knowledge,” stated Tim Maloney. Maloney is a research fellow at Griffith University, Australia. he is also the principal investigator of the project. Additionally, the discovery implies stone age hunter-gatherers in East Kalimantan had extensive knowledge of anatomy and wound care.