Amputation was probably one of the oldest surgical procedures of humankind. Most of archaeological examples of amputation are based on full skeletal remains with signs of one or two members removal; however, there are scarce evidences of the cut pieces. Here, we present a unique case and a complete anthropological study of a sectioned leg with unequivocal signs of a surgical amputation below the knee on the superior edges of both the tibia and fibula. In the chapel La Ermita de la Virgen de Vallejo in Alcozar (Soria), a small necropolis with eight complete individuals and a tomb with the amputations of at least another three was discovered. The necropolis was dated between the 18th and 19th centuries. Among the skeletal remains of the individuals recovered was a left leg partially wrapped in bandages that had been inserted into a clay vessel. A detailed study of the skeletal remains recovered was performed, and evidence of a comminuted fracture at the ankle and a reaction of the periosteum on the tibia and fibula were observed. The sex and age of the individual were estimated, and the remains are likely to correspond to an adult woman. All data indicate that the leg was amputated using the standardised surgical methods of the 18th–19th centuries. Moreover, the evolution from initial trauma to amputation can be reconstructed. The patient's survival is assumed because the other exhumed individuals were complete. Additionally, the study of the bone edges has allowed for the identification of the tool used in the operation. All this must be placed in a very poor social and historical context; the leg was found in a small cemetery of an isolated population from the Castilian plateau, suggesting an acceptable level of surgery was performed outside the medical centres of the big cities.

中文翻译：

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西班牙中部18-19世纪的截肢手术

截肢术可能是人类最古老的外科手术之一。截肢的大多数考古实例都是基于完整的骨骼遗骸，有一个或两个成员被切除的迹象。但是，几乎没有切割痕迹的证据。在这里，我们介绍了一个独特的病例和完整的人类学研究，研究了一条截肢的腿，在胫骨和腓骨上缘的膝盖以下，有截肢手术的明确迹象。在阿尔科萨尔（索里亚）的La Ermita de la Virgen de Vallejo小教堂中，发现了一个小墓地，有八个完整的人，一个带有至少三个截肢者的坟墓。墓地的历史可以追溯到18至19世纪。在被恢复的个体的骨骼遗骸中，有一条左腿被包裹在绷带中的绷带包裹，该绷带已插入黏土器皿中。对恢复的骨骼进行了详细的研究，并观察到踝关节粉碎性骨折和骨膜对胫骨和腓骨反应的证据。估计了该人的性别和年龄，其遗体很可能相当于一个成年女性。所有数据表明，使用18至19世纪的标准化手术方法截肢了腿。而且，可以重建从最初的创伤到截肢的演变。假定患者的生存是因为其他被挖掘出的个体是完整的。另外，对骨边缘的研究已经允许识别手术中使用的工具。所有这些都必须置于非常恶劣的社会和历史背景下；在卡斯蒂利亚高原的一个孤立居民的小公墓中发现了这条腿，