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](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/090622_bb_amputation_feat.jpg?fit=1030%2C580&ssl=1)
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