How did medieval people saw off limbs?

Answer 1

Amputation was performed as the last course of action to prevent loss of life.

Injury, be it through accident or warfare could result in infection. Although such material as honey (a natural antibiotic still used in some modern medicines) was used as a poultice to relp stave off infection, the medieval physician had none of the modern antibiotics which would be used to fight off infection today.

If an infection in a limb threatened the life of a patient, removal of the limb was the only option.

The method of removal was to perform the operation as fast as possible; in an age before anaesthetic, the patient's only way to not feel the operation was to get drunk first. Without blood transfusions, the surgeon could not risk long, slow removals where a patient could bleed to death or die from the shock of the limb being removed.

So, having exposed the limb the physician would take a sharp, curved knife and make a quick stabbing cut down into the flesh to the bone, and then rotate the blade right around the limb, cutting the limb to the bone and severing the muscles in one clean stroke. the severed muscle and flesh would then be pulled upward, to expose the bone. The bone would then be rapidly cut through with a Bone Saw, similar in appearance to a modern hacksaw.

the end of the bone would then be cauterised, using a red-hot iron which would sear and seal the bone end, and the muscles would be tugged back down, over the bone end and also cauterised, burning the cut flesh to seal blood vessels.

the stump would then be sewn shut, using the extra length of muscle gained by pulling the muscle up the bone earlier to now fold over the bone stump.

If the patient survived the shock and pain, the wound would be dressed, and then resewn the next day, tightening the flesh over the bone stump.

(This method remained almost unchanged until the 1850s, when anaesthetics capable of numbing or knocking out a patient were discovered. Prior to this, the surgeon's skill was measured in the speed of his operating, and ability to remove a limb - one story from the 1830's claims one surgeon's record was under 6 seconds for the complete and successful removal... only mildly spoilt by the fact he removed two of his assistant's fingers in the process, when he did'nt get his hand out the way in time.)