Scientists say that the leg was amputated when the person was still a child. Also, the study says that he lived as an amputee for many years.
First Published Sep 8, 2022, 1:06 PM IST
A 31,000-year-old skeleton of a young man found in a cave in Indonesia is leading to new discussions and discoveries in the scientific world. Scientists say that the young man’s left leg has been amputated in the skeleton, which proves that medicine had been advanced on earth even before prehistoric times.
New studies show that the left leg of a young man’s skeleton found in a cave in Indonesia was amputated. This is a 31,000 year old skeleton. According to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature, it shows that humans made medical advances long before prehistoric surgery.
Scientists say that the leg was amputated when the person was still a child. Also, the study says that he lived as an amputee for many years. Tim Maloney, an archaeologist at Australia’s Griffith University and lead researcher on the study, said the researchers came across the grave while exploring a cave in Borneo, known for the world’s earliest rock art. Although most of the skeleton was intact, the lower part of its left leg was missing, and the bones of the foot were not found in the grave.
The rest of the leg bone was clean. Also an oblique wound was found on the bone, which appeared to have occurred long before death and was healed. There were no signs of infection, and this type of injury would be expected if a child was bitten on the leg by an animal such as a crocodile. Otherwise, the leg may have been cut in some other accident. But there were no other signs of such an accident in the remains found.
Last Updated Sep 8, 2022, 1:06 PM IST
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