Healed limb amputations in human osteoarchaeology and their causes: A case study from Ipswich, UK

An adult male skeleton of Medieval date from Ipswich, UK, shows amputation of the right hand. The morphology of the bones suggests a quiescent stump, in which healing had been completed some time before death. Osteometric, morphological and radiographic data show that the mutilated limb continued to function but was used to a lesser degree than the intact side. A review of some of the literature on the osteoarchaeological evidence for healed limb amputations showed that interpretations generally fall into three broad categories: surgical intervention, judicial punishments and blade injuries. In the Ipswich case the skeletal evidence offered few clues as to the reasons for the mutilation, but historical evidence suggested a possible personal identification for the burial and that the cause of the amputation was a blade injury sustained as a result of a violent assault.