by Clare Babbidge

BBC News

Bones found at a former hospital in Worcestershire show evidence of early amputations and other medical research, say archaeologists. County council archaeologists were called in after workers building the new city university campus found about 200 bone pieces in a pit at the former Worcester Royal Infirmary site. The old hospital is being demolished to make way for a new campus Simon Sworn, archaeologist and project officer, said many of the 19th Century bones had been deliberately cut and were "evidence of amputations in their infancy". The British Medical Research Association (BMA) was founded in the hospital in 1832 and Mr Sworn believes the bones from dead prisoners were among those used for research after this became legal practice. Mr Sworn said the bones were a rare find. "It's a very fascinating and important find and appears to show a great deal about early medical practice," he said. Worcestershire County Council said its archaeologists were immediately called in after the discovery to "make sure the remains were treated appropriately". Dead prisoners The bones, which were removed under a Home Office licence, are being stored and preserved at the council offices and will be sent to a specialist who is expected to report on their significance. "The remains are likely to be studied by experts in the history of surgery before reburial," a county council spokeswoman said. Workers found letters and invitations to nurses at the site Worcester University said work at the site had also revealed the entrance to a tunnel linking the infirmary with the old city gaol. Mr Sworn said an Act of Parliament in the mid-19th Century permitted research on dead prisoners, so bones of former inmates could be among those found. "It could be criminals or it could be poor people who could not be identified and had no family," he said. Mr Sworn said the bones were from many individuals and included arm and leg bones and fragments of skull and vertebrae. "They do indicate early anatomical investigations, when people were first dissecting human remains," he said. 'Saw marks' "There's evidence of research into varying diseases, such as syphilis, which was widespread at the time. There are bones that have been cut into where the disease had taken hold." He said the bones could be linked to the work of Sir Charles Hastings, a medical surgeon and founder of the BMA. About 200 bone pieces have been found. (c) University of Worcester Mr Sworn added there were also animal bones, including those of pigs, found in the pit. "Some have several saw marks, as if the students had practiced amputations on the animals' bones first," he said. The bones include a hip joint punctured by a nail which Mr Sworn said could be evidence of an early hip replacement operation. Worcester University said discoveries "charting more than 1,700 years" had been found at the site since last year, including Roman pottery and 1940s dance invitations to nurses. "The university is keen to ensure the history of this important part of the City is fully recorded and has been working closely with the county council's archaeologists," a spokeswoman said. Its new £100m city campus was "progressing well" and two new halls of residence were set to open in September, she added.



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