The history of medicine can be heavily influenced when further studies are done on a body found in Indonesia. According to Indonesian and Australian archaeologists, the young man underwent amputation surgery on his leg before he died. Learn more about the relationship between the Stone Age individual and medicine.
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Amputation surgery in prehistoric times
Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Greek peoples are known for their extensive knowledge in medicine. Hippocrates, considered the father of medicine, lived in 460 BC. W. The peoples of Ancient Egypt already performed brain surgeries; however, archaeologists have recently found evidence that suggests that surgeries were already performed in prehistoric times. See how this was possible.
- Where was the young man found?
The body of a young man locating inside the Liang Tebo cave in East Kalimantan province in Borneo, remained untouched for 31,000 years before being found by Indonesian archaeologists and Australians. To calculate the period in which he remained there, radiocarbon dating techniques were used.
The discovery was published in the journal Nature, last Wednesday, 31.
- Why could this news revolutionize the history of medicine?
The sex of the human has not yet been identified, however it was discovered that this person had the lower part of the left leg carefully removed before the moment of his death, which occurred in his 19 or 21 years. It is estimated that limb loss occurred during preadolescence or adolescence.
This amputation proved to be carefully carried out, corroborating the thesis that a surgery to remove the member, demonstrating a certain sophistication and more enhanced.
- Are amputation surgeries complicated?
The procedure is not simple. For the young man to have survived for many years after the amputation, the person who performed it must have prior knowledge of human anatomy, interruption of blood flow and anesthesia. In addition, this individual should master techniques to prevent infection and sepsis, using sterilized instruments or those with a low degree of contamination.
Considering the risk factors of amputation surgery, western society has only normalized this practice approximately one hundred years ago, however with access to anesthesia (local and general) and antibiotics of wide spectrum. Those peoples they were already doing the same procedure – successfully – before all this existed. Can you imagine?
