Despite her death, a medieval woman gave birth
Two rarely observed medical phenomena from the Early Middle Ages have been revealed by a horrific discovery in Italy.
Among several burials unearthed in Imola, Italy in 2010, archaeologists found the well-preserved remains of an adult laid to rest with the bones of a fetus positioned between its legs (shown). A closer look has now revealed the pair represents an unusual case of ‘coffin birth’
Archaeologists discovered the well-preserved remains of an adult buried with the bones of a fetus positioned between the legs among many burials discovered in Imola, Italy, in 2010.
Now that the pair has been examined more closely, it is clear that their odd "coffin birth" situation.
Both the mother and the infant had already passed away by the time they were buried, but it wasn't until then that the stillborn baby was expelled from her body.
The exact cause of the pregnant woman's death, which occurred hundreds of years ago when she was between the ages of 25 and 35, is still unknown, but markings on her skull suggest she had medieval brain surgery at least a week previously, during which a clean hole was drilled into her skull.
It remains a mystery how exactly the pregnant woman died hundreds of years ago around the age of 25-35, but markings on her skull indicate she underwent medieval brain surgery at least a week prior, with a hole drilled neatly into her skull. The procedure is known as trepanation
In a manuscript that was published to the journal World Neurosurgery, researchers from the Universities of Ferrara and Bologna described the sobering findings.
Trepanation, a method used in the burial from the 7th to 8th century AD, is supposed to have originated in the Neolithic era.
By drilling or cutting into the skull, it was utilized to cure a variety of diseases, including a pregnancy problem that is still prevalent today.
According to the authors of the study, hypertensive illnesses continue to be the leading cause of maternal death. "Eclampsia is the outcome of seizures of pre-eclampsia, which can affect women after the twentieth week of pregnancy," they said.
By the time of burial, both the mother and child were already dead – but, it wasn’t until after that the stillborn baby was pushed from her body. The 'immature' bones can be seen lying between the mother's legs, above
High fever, convulsions, persistent frontal and occipital cephalalgia, high intracranial pressure, and brain bleeding are some of the most typical symptoms of this illness.
From Prehistory to the 20th century, trepanation was used to treat all of these ailments.
The ancient skull's lesion appears to have been caused by surgery rather than a violent trauma, according to its nature.
Furthermore, according to the researchers, it even shows early signs of bone healing, proving the woman survived for at least a week following the procedure.
She had been pregnant for about 38 weeks at the time.
Even while it's impossible to know for sure why the trepanation was done, the researchers believe it was probably an effort to lessen eclampsia-related pressure in the skull.
It's even unclear how she passed away.
A macabre discovery in Imola, Italy has offered a haunting glimpse at two rarely seen medical phenomena dating back to the Early Middle Ages
The cause of the woman's death is still mostly unknown, according to the authors, who note that it might have been the pregnancy problem, complications during labor, or the procedure itself.
In any event, the discovery of both trepanation and coffin delivery in the same set of bones, according to the researchers, is incredibly uncommon.
According to the authors, this discovery is one of the few known instances of trepanation throughout the European Early Middle Ages and the only one to involve a pregnant lady and the phenomena of post-mortem fetal extrusion.
Given all of these circumstances, this case stands out as unique and adds to our understanding of the clinical development of neurosurgery and pregnancy during this historical time.