The First Amputation in Borneo 30000 Years Ago

As many people would think, having an amputation when technology and medicine wasn’t too developed yet like in prehistoric times would be extremely scary and risky. However, it was actually done well 30,000 years ago. 30,000 years ago, there was a successful amputation of the lower leg done on a child in Borneo, Indonesia. The surgery was also known as the first amputation that was successful and done in prehistoric times. It was also known that the individual had survived for another 6 to 9 years before they had passed away and were buried in the Borneo island in Indonesia. 

On this island, archeologists had found the bones of the young adult who had gone through this surgical procedure in the Stone Age. They had found out that the individual did not have his/her lower part of their left leg which had led archeologists to infer that she had gotten a leg amputation. They had found that the cut between the bones between the knee and the ankle were quite clean. This told archeologists that the cut wasn’t by an animal attack or an injury but was actually the sign of a successful surgery. It was quite shocking to see as you may have not believed that people in the stone age would be capable of performing such “high-tech” surgeries as they barely had much knowledge about medicine and surgery. It would also be quite shocking to see that the individual had survived and to be able to see such a clean cut from the amputation as well.  

It was quite shocking as people now wouldn’t have believed that people in historical times would be capable of cleaning wounds from surgeries and even performing surgeries like this. Although we do not know explicitly what the reason behind the amputation was, we do know that the individual had passed away 6-9 years later after the amputation. This tells us that the amputation was quite successful even though this amputation could’ve been the first amputation ever done in the history of medicine and amputations. In addition, it is also known that the individual was buried in a cave in Borneo, Indonesia after the individual’s death. 

According to the University of Western Australia, it was known that the amputation of the bone was done on purpose as a condition to prevent infection from a previous injury that could’ve been from the individual’s childhood even if we do not know much about it. Moreover, the condition of the individual’s bones also shows us that it didn’t grow properly as the size of the tibia and fibula were smaller than how the bones of children are usually like. As a result, this leads professionals to believe that the amputation was done purposely to treat a childhood injury. Thus, this is mostly what we do know about the first amputation that was done in medical history during the Stone Age. 

Overall, the first amputation that was ever done in medical history was the amputation that was done on an island in Borneo, Indonesia around 30,000 years ago. Although there isn't much information known about this procedure, people do know that it was done in the Stone Age and which bones were amputated. Archeologists had found the skeletal remains in a cave in an island in Borneo. It was found that it was the lower part of the left leg which includes the tibia and the fibula. What’s more, the individual had a childhood injury and had to amputate their lower leg as a result. It can also be quite shocking to people to hear about this procedure since it is incredible that an amputation from the Stone Age could be that clean and was actually successful. In the end, the individual had passed away 6 to 9 years after the amputation. It is also unknown whether they had died due to the procedure or not. Thus, this is an introduction to the first amputation done in medical history 30,000 years ago in Borneo, Indonesia.

Written by Connie Ma at Incisionary

References

Maloney, T. R., Dilkes-Hall, I. E., Vlok, M., Oktaviana, A. A., Setiawan, P., Priyatno, A. A. D., Ririmasse, M., Geria, I. M., Effendy, M. A. R., Istiawan, B., Atmoko, F. T., Adhityatama, S., Moffat, I., Joannes-Boyau, R., Brumm, A., & Aubert, M. (2022). Surgical amputation of a limb 31,000 years ago in Borneo. Nature, 609(7927), 547–551.Retrieved October 13, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05160-8/ 

Prillaman, M. (2022, September 13). Prehistoric Child's Amputation Is Oldest Surgery of Its Kind. Scientific American. Retrieved October 13, 2025, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/prehistoric-childs-amputation-is-oldest-surgery-of-its-kind/

Smithsonian Magazine. (n.d.). Earliest known amputation was performed in Borneo ‘31,000 years ago. Retrieved October 13, 2025, from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/earliest-known-amputation-was-performed-in-borneo-31000-years-ago-180980710/ 

University of Western Australia. (2022, September). Earliest known evidence of surgical amputation uncovered in Borneo. Retrieved October 13, 2025, from https://www.uwa.edu.au/news/article/2022/september/earliest-known-evidence-of-surgical-amputation-uncovered-in-borneo