- Title
- Surgical advances in the stone age: Unveiling the art of healing
- Creator
- Segelcke, Daniel; Orschiedt, Jörg; Rosenberger, Daniela C.; Pogatzki-Zahn, Esther M.; Pradier, Bruno; Balogh, Zsolt J.
- Relation
- World Journal of Surgery Vol. 49, Issue 2, p. 448-452
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/wjs.12459
- Publisher
- John Wiley & Sons
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2025
- Description
- Archeological evidence suggests medicine dates back to the Stone Age, long before recorded history. This extensive prehistoric era spanned 2.5 million years and concluded approximately 4000 years before the present (BP) (Figure 1). During this period, our ancestors developed surgical techniques to address injuries and diseases.1-3 However, deciphering Stone Age surgical practices is fraught with challenges and pitfalls. The prehistoric record, our primary source of evidence, is far from complete. We are almost only relying on the bone remains from humans, which often present more mysteries than answers. Subtle marks, which could show surgical interventions, also bear the risk of misinterpretation. Did a specific mark result from a deliberate medical procedure, or was it merely the consequence of a random injury or postmortem damage? Such questions frequently hang in a delicate balance between valid scientific interpretation and mere speculation. Without properly applied scientific vigor, some of the unsupported assumptions can enjoy popularity in media and can make it to textbooks and medical school curriculum.
- Subject
- early human healthcare; prehistoric medical interventions; stone age; stone age surgery; trepanation practices
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1518163
- Identifier
- uon:57243
- Identifier
- ISSN:0364-2313
- Language
- eng
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