Dissected skeleton gives archaeologists rare insight into historical medical study

Archaeologists have discovered the skeleton of a man who was dissected shortly after his death, presumably for medical education. The find in Aalst offers a rare glimpse into how surgeons studied the human body in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The excavation was carried out by a team from SOLVA, the intermunicipal heritage cell for South-East Flanders. Inside a wooden coffin, they found a skeleton with clear traces of dissection: both arms, upper legs and lower legs had been carefully sawed through. 

The skull may also have been worked on but it was too poorly preserved for archaeologists to be certain.

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Physical anthropologist Liesbeth Massagé highlights the craftsmanship of the cuts. “There are no traces of hesitation,” she said. “This work was probably done by an experienced doctor who made anatomical preparations.”

The body was found on the site of the former Jennemiekes cemetery on Dendermondsesteenweg, where burials took place from 1784 to 1867. 

During the Archaeology Days event on 24 and 25 May, visitors can tour the site and archaeologists will explain their exceptional find.

^{#FlandersNewsService | Illustration © PHOTO SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY}

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