Miracle of the Black Leg

The Miracle of the Black Leg is an alleged miracle to have occurred in the medieval era, and in which a black man's leg would have been transplanted onto a white man.[1] It was performed by Saints Cosmas and Damian in the 6th century, way after their death. They amputated a cancerous leg from a verger working in a church and replaced it with a leg from a recently deceased Black man. The two saints, who died in the third century lived in modern-day Syria, are venerated for their work as traveling physicians that did not accept payment for their services.[1]

The Miracle

Saints Cosmas and Damian, who were twins, were Christian physicians that were renowned for healing the sick but did not accept any payment for their services; this earned them the Greek name Anargyri, which means 'The Silverless.'[2]

The Miracle of the Black Leg is the most famous miracle they are associated with, and that took place hundreds of years after their death. The miracle has been depicted in several artworks with its records existing in the Golden Legend.[3]

A verger in a church in Medieval Rome suffered from a cancerous leg. One night as he slept, Saints Cosmas and Damian appeared to him in a dream. They amputated his diseased leg and replaced it with a leg of a recently deceased man of Ethiopian decent.[4]

On waking up, he noticed that his diseased leg had actually been removed and in its place was a Black leg. People sought confirmation from the deceased man's tomb and found out that the corpse had the deceased white leg.[5]

Saints Cosmas and Damian

Cosmas and Damian were twins of Arabian descent, born around 270CE.[6][7] The two dedicated their lives to the practice of medicine and surgery for free.[8][9] They are celebrated as the patron saints of physicians, pharmacists, surgeons, and twins.[10]

Impact on Medicine

The miracle lays foundation to conventional medical transplantation, especially regarding the concepts of donors and hosts in transplantation.[11][12] The miracle has attracted research on medical ethics and the aspects of altruism, showing how medicine crosses the boundaries of race.[12][13]

References

  1. ^ a b van Gulik, Thomas M. (February 2014). "The miracle transplantation of a black leg by the surgeon saints Cosmas and Damian". Hepatobiliary Surgery and Nutrition. 13 (1): 1–2. doi:10.21037/hbsn-24-26. ISSN 2304-3881. PMC 10839726. PMID 38322209.
  2. ^ Williams, Patricia J. (2024-06-25). The Miracle of the Black Leg. The New Press. doi:10.2307/jj.26193247. ISBN 978-1-62097-823-8.
  3. ^ Acta medico-historica Adriatica. Croatia Scientific Society for the History of Health Culture. doi:10.31952/amha.
  4. ^ Kuzub, Alena (July 18, 2024). "Legal scholar Patricia Williams explores race, bodily integrity and law in 'The Miracle of the Black Leg'". Northeastern Global News. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  5. ^ Zimmerman, Kees Wouter, "Introduction", One Leg in the Grave Revisited, Barkhuis, pp. 11–21, doi:10.2307/j.ctt227287n.4, retrieved 2025-10-13
  6. ^ Malinowski, Witold (2022-01-06). "Twins Cosmas and Damian – Patron Saints of Doctors". Women Health Care and Issues. 5 (1): 01–08. doi:10.31579/2642-9756/095. ISSN 2642-9756.
  7. ^ Friedlaender, Gary E.; Friedlaender, Linda K. (August 2016). "Saints Cosmas and Damian: Patron Saints of Medicine". Clinical Orthopaedics & Related Research. 474 (8): 1765–1769. doi:10.1007/s11999-016-4929-6. ISSN 0009-921X. PMC 4925431. PMID 27283584.
  8. ^ Wong, Szu Shen (2016-09-26). "Saint Cosmas and Damian: the patron saints of pharmacy and medicine". The Pharmaceutical Journal. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  9. ^ "Jacobus de Voragine, the Golden Legend", One Leg in the Grave Revisited, Barkhuis, pp. 33–35, doi:10.2307/j.ctt227287n.6, retrieved 2025-10-13
  10. ^ Maggioni, F.; Maggioni, G. (February 2014). "A Closer Look at Depictions of Cosmas and Damian". American Journal of Transplantation. 14 (2): 494–495. doi:10.1111/ajt.12573. ISSN 1600-6135. PMID 24320243.
  11. ^ Hernigou, Philippe (December 2014). "Bone transplantation and tissue engineering, part I. Mythology, miracles and fantasy: from Chimera to the Miracle of the Black Leg of Saints Cosmas and Damian and the cock of John Hunter". International Orthopaedics. 38 (12): 2631–2638. doi:10.1007/s00264-014-2511-y. ISSN 0341-2695. PMID 25201179.
  12. ^ a b SOH, Jong Seok (2020-04-30). "Religious Myths and their Historical Heritage: How did Saints Cosmas and Damian become Patron Saints of Surgery? - From the Miracle of the Black Legs to 21st Century Transplant Medicine -". Korean Journal of Medical History. 29 (1): 165–214. doi:10.13081/kjmh.2020.29.165. ISSN 1225-505X. PMC 10556343. PMID 32418979.
  13. ^ Cooper, Cecilio M. (2021-09-10), "The Miracle of the Black Leg", Religion and the Medieval and Early Modern Global Marketplace, London: Routledge, pp. 199–213, doi:10.4324/9781003082842-10, ISBN 978-1-003-08284-2, retrieved 2025-10-27
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