World’s earliest evidence of a successful surgery found from a 31,000-year-old grave

A 31,000 year old skeleton has been found in Borneo, Indonesia, and it is said to be the remains of a person who underwent the world’s first successful surgery. Findings published in the journal Nature said that “the skeleton is 31,000 years old, pre-dating the previous oldest known evidence for amputation surgery by a staggering 24,000 years.”

The skeleton was found in the caves of East Kalimantan, Borneo that date back to 40,000 years ago and were first discovered in 2018. Archaeologists from Griffith University, the University of Western Australia, and Indonesian institutions of archaeology and conservation searched remote caves in the dense rainforest with the help of locals.

The scientists uncovered a complete human burial In one of the caves known as Liang Tebo cave. Multiple dating techniques confirmed that the burial had taken place 31,000 years ago, which could make the burial Southeast Asia’s oldest known grave.

Skeletal analyses confirmed that the lower left limb had been surgically amputated and the healed bone confirmed the injury.

Researchers said that it can be said that the surgeons were able to prevent any form of infection after the surgery owing to which the person survived adulthood.