Amputation is the most ancient of surgical procedures. Advancements in surgical technique and prosthetic design historically were stimulated by the aftermath of war. Early surgical amputation was a crude procedure by which a limb was rapidly severed from an unanesthetized patient. The open stump was crushed or dipped in boiling oil to obtain hemostasis. The procedure was associated with high complication and mortality rates due to hemorrhage and infection. Surgeons during that time could rely only on their efficiency and technique to affect outcome and minimize pain. For patients who survived, the resulting stump was poorly suited for prosthetic fitting.
