Found evidence of the first ever operation on the ear, made 5300 years ago
Researchers from the University of Valladolid in Spain and the Spanish National Research Council in Italy published an article in Scientific Reports. They found evidence of the earliest human ear surgery, in the region of Burgos, in a place most likely used by ancient people as a burial site.
Previous research has shown that the site was used for this burial for 800 years between 3800 and 3000 BC.
The scientists analyzed the skull found in Burgos and found that it had traces of a skull operation. Not only were doctors able to perform ear surgery, but the woman who had the operation survived it, even though she lived only a few months after that.
The skull of a woman between the ages of 35 and 50 is 5,300 years old, making it the earliest example of ear surgery. In modern science, this procedure is called a mastoidectomy. It is performed to clean a suspected infected area. Failure to manage the problem can cause many people to become deaf or have serious infections that can lead to death.
A flint tool was also found on the same grave of the patient. It showed signs of having been heated several times, which means it may have been used as a cauterizing tool to stop bleeding.
In the woman’s skull, scientists found signs of bone growth in the holes, suggesting that the operation may have been successful, albeit not for long.
