離開
進入中英對照讀新聞》Stone Age skeleton missing foot may show oldest amputation 石器時代骸骨缺腳 可能揭示最早的截肢手術
印尼一具石器時代骸骨缺了左腳，不排除是最古老截肢手術的證據。（法新社檔案照）
◎孫宇青
The 31,000-year-old skeleton of a young adult found in a cave in Indonesia that is missing its left foot and part of its left leg reveal the oldest known evidence of an amputation, according to a new study in the journal Nature.
根據《自然》期刊一項新研究，在印尼一處洞穴出土的一具缺少左腳和部分左腿的3萬1000年前年輕人骸骨，可能是已知最古老截肢手術的證據。
Scientists say the amputation was performed when the person was a child. The prehistoric surgery could show that humans were making medical advances much earlier than previously thought.
科學家表示，這具骸骨的主人是在兒童時期接受截肢。這樁史前手術可能揭示，人類的醫療進展比過去認為的時間點古早許多。
After examining the remains, the researchers concluded the foot bones weren’t missing from the grave, or lost in an accident — they were carefully removed. The person appears to have lived for around six to nine more years after losing the limb, eventually dying from unknown causes.
在檢查骸骨其他部位後，研究人員總結道，腳骨並非在洞穴中遺失，或在意外中喪失，而是被仔細截除。此人失去左腳後，似乎還活了約6到9年，最終因不明原因而死。
This shows that the prehistoric foragers knew enough about medicine to perform the surgery without fatal blood loss or infection.（AP）
這表示，這群史前掠食者對施行手術的醫療技術知之甚詳，明白如何才能不引起致命的失血或感染。（美聯社）
新聞辭典
amputation：名詞，截肢。例句：If worse comes to worst, he may face leg amputation.（若最糟情況發生，他可能面臨右腿截肢的情況。）
remains：名詞，遺骸；剩餘物。例句：My mother hates to see remains of dinner left on the table.（我媽討厭看到沒吃完的晚餐擺在桌上。）
