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Prehistoric child’s amputation is oldest surgery of its kind

Skeleton missing lower left leg and dated to 31,000 years ago provides the earliest known evidence for surgical limb removal.
  1. McKenzie Prillaman
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The skeleton of a person who lived 31,000 years ago bears hallmarks of the deliberate removal of their lower left leg — the earliest known evidence of surgical amputation1.

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Nature 609, 453-454 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-02849-8

References

  1. Maloney, T. R. et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05160-8 (2022).

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  2. Buquet-Marcon, C., Philippe, C. & Anaick, S. Nature Prec. https://doi.org/10.1038/npre.2007.1278.1 (2007).

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  3. Aubert, M. et al. Nature 564, 254–257 (2018).

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