A group of German archaeologists have discovered a skeleton with a metal prosthetic hand that may be almost 600 years old. Thanks to carbon dating, the researchers estimated that the man to whom the prosthesis belonged died between 1450 and 1620 and was between 30 and 50 years old when he was buried. The prosthesis was made of iron and replaces the four missing fingers. The scientific report states that it is unclear how the man lost his fingers and how he could have used the prosthesis.
Walter Irlinger, head of the Conservation Department at the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments, explains: “The prosthesis on the left hand replaced the index, middle, ring and little fingers. The artificial fingers are made of sheet metal and immobile. Prosthetic fingers are built slightly curved, parallel to each other. The prosthesis was probably attached to the trunk of the hand."
A gauze-like material was found inside the prosthesis, which the wearer may have used to cushion the action of the artificial limb on the trunk of the hand.
Archaeologists found the skeleton in a grave near a church in Freising, near Munich in Germany, which was the scene of numerous military battles, including the Thirty Years' War from 1618 to 1648, which led to an increase in amputations and the demand for prosthetics.
This type of prosthesis must have been quite common at the time as archaeologists have previously discovered about 50 similar prostheses in Central Europe dating from the late Middle Ages, approximately 1300-1500, to the early modern period, approximately 1500-1800 . One of the most advanced was worn by the 16th-century German knight Götz von Berlichingen, who had lost his right hand to a cannonball. To build a "mobile" and "technically extremely complex" prosthesis.
According to the National Library of Medicine, the oldest prosthesis is a single finger, which was built in Egypt between 2,600 and 3,400 years ago. While the "Capua leg", a prosthetic leg found in Italy, dates back to around 300 BC. It was built of bronze and wood for a Roman nobleman. (A2 Televizion)
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