Disability in medieval Poulton (Cheshire)

A case of hand amputation

Datos Bibliográficos

ID21202002
AutoresSatu Valoriani (0000-0001-8070-9682, Liverpool John Moores University, autor de correspondencia), Megan King (0000-0003-1309-5857, Liverpool John Moores University), Kevin Cootes (0000-0002-9791-1702, Liverpool John Moores University)
Año2025
Volumen51
Páginas82-85
Fecha de publicación2025-12-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaInternational Journal of Paleopathology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1879-9817 • E-ISSN: 1879-9825
EditorialElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.10.003
PMID41202627
OpenAlexW4415955694
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas20

OBJECTIVE: Amputations are rarely identified in the British archaeological record from the Middle Ages, with survival following hand removal particularly uncommon. This study presents a case of a healed left-hand amputation from the medieval cemetery at Poulton (Cheshire). MATERIALS: The study focuses on Skeleton 861, recovered from the Poulton Chapel burial ground, part of a broader assemblage of over 800 individuals dated to the 13th-16th centuries CE. METHODS: Standard osteological techniques were used to establish the biological profile, while radiographic imaging and macroscopic analysis assessed healing and pathological conditions. Directional asymmetry was also calculated. RESULTS: The left hand was absent, with the distal radius and ulna showing remodelling, marginal osteophyte growth, and a healed amputation surface. No cut marks or skeletal atrophy were observed. Directional asymmetry and robust entheses suggest continued use of the limb post-amputation. Differential diagnoses were excluded on morphological and contextual grounds. CONCLUSIONS: Skeleton 861 demonstrates long-term survival and functional adaptation following amputation. The evidence supports loss of the hand and recovery within a rural medieval community. SIGNIFICANCE: This case contributes to the small body of evidence for medieval amputations in Britain, providing an example of survival and long-term adaptation to severe trauma and the loss of an upper limb within a premodern agrarian community. LIMITATIONS: The cause of amputation could not be determined, and absence of prosthetic evidence limits interpretation of post-amputation adaptations. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Future work could compare similar cases across Britain to evaluate regional variation in care practices and examine potential use of prostheses or occupational adaptations

Amputation · Artificial limbs · Limb amputation · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · History of Medicine Studies · Musicians’ Health and Performance