News Anthropology

The oldest known surgical amputation occurred 31,000 years ago

The young patient survived another six to nine years after the operation

image of a young adult’s skeleton with the lower left leg absent

A young adult’s skeleton (shown here from the waist down) excavated on the island of Borneo displays evidence of the oldest known surgical amputation, a lower left leg removal performed roughly 31,000 years ago.

T.R. Maloney et al/Nature 2022

By Bruce Bower

- More than 2 years ago

A child who lived on the Indonesian island of Borneo around 31,000 years ago underwent the oldest known surgical operation, an amputation of the lower left leg, researchers say.