Buzz
It’s common to dismiss our ancient ancestors as primitive. When we hear the term 'Stone Age', we often picture cavemen clumsily smashing rocks. But this stereotype misses a lot. Even before we built cities or invented writing, our ancestors achieved some astonishing feats.
Cavemen rarely get the chance to defend themselves. Most of what we know about them comes from their burials. However, despite their lack of written records, their remains reveal the impressive medical practices they had—and some are absolutely remarkable.
10. Surgical Amputations With Anesthesia
Approximately 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of present-day Paris, a man underwent an amputation. His doctor administered an anesthetic, removed his forearm, and treated the wound with an antiseptic. This remarkable event occurred 7,000 years ago.
Though the procedure was likely more rudimentary than modern techniques, archaeologists have found evidence in a Stone Age skeleton from France suggesting that a tribal healer in 5000 BC managed to perform the entire surgery.
The skeletal remains indicate that the forearm was carefully severed with a flint tool, resembling the precision of a surgeon. Evidence from other graves suggests the patient was probably given a hallucinogenic substance, likely Datura, to ease the pain of the procedure.
The absence of infection implies the wound was treated with an antiseptic like sage. The healing of his bones shows that he lived a healthy life for many years after the surgery.
It’s difficult to picture a Stone Age healer performing such complex procedures, but they did—and this wasn’t a one-time occurrence. Archaeologists have found evidence of amputations on several Stone Age remains, and it seems the individuals often survived the surgeries. All of this was accomplished with a sharp piece of flint and some plants.
9. Using Ants To Close Wounds
Neolithic surgeons didn’t just perform surgeries—they also had to know how to close up their patients' wounds. Evidence suggests that medicine men were stitching wounds long before modern times. While Egypt used linen and Europe turned to catgut, the most fascinating technique involved using ants.
In parts of India and Africa, early tribes treated wounds by allowing ants to crawl onto the injured area and bite the skin. Once the ant's mandibles had latched onto both sides of the wound, the healer would snap its head off. The ant would die with its jaws locked in a death grip, holding the wound closed.
This technique is thought to date back to the Neolithic period. While it’s unclear exactly how it was used at that time, by the time written records appeared in India, ants were already being used to stitch up perforated intestines.
8. Dentistry With Drills
The earliest known dental drill was created much earlier than one might expect. Made of flint, it was used by a skilled dentist in what is now Pakistan, an astonishing 9,000 years ago.
A whole tribe has been discovered with clear evidence of dental treatments. It appears that an early dentist used a flint drill to treat the teeth of his people whenever they suffered from toothaches. In one instance, he even performed a complex procedure involving tooth enamel removal and cavity wall restoration.
The region was teeming with bead artisans, and it’s thought that their mastery of beadwork played a crucial role in their advanced dental practices. By applying their skills to teeth, they developed a sophisticated dental system upon discovering its effectiveness.
They maintained this tradition for centuries. This tribe didn't rely on just a single dentist. In an era before written records, they successfully passed down their dental knowledge for approximately 1,500 years before it was eventually lost.
7. Acupuncture
Evidence from a 5,300-year-old mummy found in the mountain range between Italy and Austria suggests that Stone Age Europeans were practicing acupuncture centuries before the Chinese. In fact, they had been using it for more than 2,000 years before the Chinese.
Otzi the Iceman, as the mummy is known, is believed to have suffered from frequent bladder issues and stomach pain during his lifetime. He had no knowledge of what was causing his distress, but a colony of whipworms was likely living inside him, bringing excruciating discomfort.
In Otzi’s tribe, someone used acupuncture to treat him. His back is marked with small puncture wounds from needles that were likely crafted from stone or bone. Afterward, his healer applied burned herbs to the wounds, probably to help keep the area clean.
While the acupuncture wouldn't have addressed the root issue—the whipworms inside him—it would have offered relief from the pain. More importantly, it showcases an extraordinary understanding of medical methods. Interestingly, the practice was lost to Otzi's descendants, and Europeans wouldn't rediscover it for nearly 5,000 years.
6. Obstetric Manuals
In the Stone Age, childbirth was a perilous event. Without the benefits of modern medicine, many women faced life-threatening risks during labor. In some regions, it’s believed that roughly one-third of women did not survive childbirth.
However, this was not the case everywhere. Some tribes had already developed a basic understanding of how to care for a woman in labor. Archaeologists suggest that certain Stone Age tribes had developed strategies, techniques, and even manuals to assist in delivering a healthy baby. Most astonishing of all, they even illustrated birthing guides on the walls of caves.
Some archaeologists believe that cave paintings were a Stone Age version of a manual like What to Expect When You’re Expecting. These drawings appear to depict a woman in an upright birthing position with her arms raised above her waist—a position that would have been the most effective for delivering a baby with the resources available at the time. The images then seem to guide the woman to lean forward during the second stage of labor.
These caves were likely not intended as homes. They would have served as rudimentary maternity wards. According to this theory, the expectant mother would have been brought into the cave for protection during childbirth. The cave would provide shelter from the elements and help avoid attracting wild animals with any odors.
5. Healing Broken Bones
Cavemen also had methods for repairing broken bones. If a hunter suffered a broken arm, early healers would wrap the arm in clay and let it dry in the sun. This technique was somewhat similar to the modern method of using a plaster cast, and it was effective.
However, not all doctors were capable of doing this. Some tribes lacked the necessary materials to create these clay casts or simply didn’t possess the required knowledge. Many Stone Age remains suggest that injured warriors often relied on their bodies to naturally heal broken bones.
Some of the most skilled Stone Age doctors, though, were able to work wonders with clay casts. After examining a healed bone on a Stone Age body, one archaeologist noted that it was 'not inferior to what we should expect from the most skillful surgeons of the globe.'
4. Treating and Disinfecting Wounds
Stone Age healers had methods for treating and sanitizing wounds. When a warrior was injured in battle, there was someone in the tribe capable of ensuring they survived their injuries.
It's difficult to determine exactly how they managed it since we only have bones to study, not soft tissue. Still, we know they had effective methods of cleaning and treating wounds because archaeologists have found remains of individuals who survived severe injuries, such as head trauma from clubs or being struck by arrows—something that would have been impossible without skilled care.
The earliest civilizations offer some insight into prehistoric medical practices. The ancient Egyptians, for instance, believed evil spirits could enter an open wound, demonstrating a rudimentary understanding of infections. They would treat the wound with dung, which contained natural antibiotics and proteins that promoted healing.
Stone Age doctors likely used a similar method. Like the Egyptians, they probably thought they were protecting the patient from evil spirits rather than combating infections. However, their approach to wound care was effective.
3. Neurosurgery
The Stone Age healer was attempting a procedure known as trepanation, an early form of brain surgery. Surprisingly, this was a common practice in the Stone Age across the world, and it has been performed for at least 10,000 years.
To perform this procedure, early doctors would drill a hole into the patient’s skull using a flint tool. They would then remove fragments of bone from the brain and clear away any blood pooling inside the head. Remarkably, this treatment was effective, as it helped those with head injuries, and most patients seemed to survive the procedure.
Based on cave paintings, they practiced trepanation on patients suffering from epilepsy, migraines, and mental disorders. In their belief system, they likely thought these individuals were possessed by evil spirits, and they believed that cutting holes in their skulls would release these spirits.
Even if they didn’t fully understand the cause of the conditions, the procedure was surprisingly successful. Their patients survived, even if they had to live with holes in their heads.
2. Medical Training Exercises
These early healers didn’t just leap into performing surgery without preparation. They took precautions and practiced first.
Archaeologists have discovered animal bones from the Neolithic period that show signs of surgical intervention. One such find was a cow skull from France, dating back 5,000 years. The skull had a hole carefully drilled into it with a sharp flint tool. It's unlikely that early humans were concerned enough about their cattle to perform surgery on them, so it's believed these animals were used as practice dummies.
It’s thought that Stone Age apprentice doctors used these animals to experiment before working on humans. And it was probably a good thing they practiced first. The wound on that 5,000-year-old cow skull never healed, indicating that the doctor made a mistake and killed the cow—so the human patient likely avoided the same fate.
1. Digestive Aids
During the Age of Exploration, when Europeans first encountered tribes still using Stone Age technology, they observed something that seemed highly unusual. The tribesmen would dig up the earth and consume dirt and clay. At the time, Europeans thought this behavior was merely a primitive form of eating disorder.
However, recent studies suggest that these people were practicing something our Stone Age ancestors also did, and it actually proved effective. Historians now believe that eating dirt might have been one of the earliest medical practices.
Research indicates that these early tribes would collect clay, boil it, and consume it to alleviate stomach problems. This practice was especially common in areas with a high presence of foodborne pathogens, which suggests that they used the clay to neutralize toxins and settle upset stomachs. Pregnant women also ate it, likely to ease nausea and vomiting.
It may sound unpleasant and probably seems strange, but thousands of years ago, a man eating a handful of dirt marked the start of medical practice.
