Austrian archeologists find 1,500-year-old wooden foot

[valley ranch]

Austrian archeologists find 1,500-year-old wooden foot

January 15, 2016 - 15:36 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - Archeologists in Austria said Thursday, January 14 they had found what they believe to be Europe's oldest prosthetic implant in the shape of a wooden foot dating from the sixth century, Phys.org reports.

The discovery was made in the grave of a man missing his left foot and ankle at Hemmaberg in southern Austria. Instead at the end of his leg was an iron ring and remnants of a clump of wood and leather.

"He appears to have got over the loss of his foot and lived for two more years at least with this implant, and walking pretty well," Sabine Ladstaetter from the Austrian Archeological Institute (OeAI) told AFP

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/203841/

 

[so lucky]

That just makes me cringe to think about.

 

[valley ranch]

About the loss of a foot or the prosthetic?

 

[baymule]

Cool article!

We as modern people like to think that we have invented modern conveniences. Ancient peoples had a lot more conveniences than what we think. The ancient Romans had running water and central heat. Granted, the central heat was in the basements and the heat came from boilers operated by slaves, (the steam heated the stone floors above) but they had central heat. So much easier to go turn that dial in the hallway!

India still uses their ayurvedic medicine that dates back over 5,000 years. Ancient surgery was probably a horror, and probably killed more people than it helped, but at least some of them lived. Come to think of it, that does sound like fairly recent times. I would much rather have modern surgery than ancient surgery, at least in modern times, doctors wash their hands!