To Bleed or not to Bleed: An
Overview of Bloodletting
By, Broussard, R.D.
Making a surgical incision into a vein or
puncturing it with a needle to draw blood for
testing or other purposes is called Phlebotomy.
The actual procedure is called venesection
(Encarta 1089). These technical terms are
associated with what we commonly think of as
bloodletting. Medical anthropologists strive to
learn about healing in different cultures
throughout modern and historical times. They
study different treatments, how treatments are
administered, and how effective they are or were.
This article briefly analyses bloodletting through
that perspective.
There is an old fable that the Ancient
Egyptian Priests would observe Hippos cutting
themselves with sharp reeds in the Nile when they
became too obese; and they began practicing it on
themselves for beneficial purposes. In another
story from antiquity, while returning home from
the siege of Troy, a surgeon of Agamemnon used
venesection to cure a patient who in return
granted the sovereignty of the surgeon’s
countrymen (Lankester 76-77). It is hard to say
precisely where and when the practice began.
Something that cannot be denied is that
bloodletting has been around for a long time.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, bloodletting
was used to treat many things. It relieved pain,
diminished swelling, local redness or congestion,
and general heat. After venesection, spasms would
stop. There have been cases of people in
comatose states suddenly being roused up. The
logic behind this is that natural hemorrhages have
been observed at the ending of disease. So these
artificial hemorrhages are equivalent to the natural
ones, but they can be completely controlled by
careful and shrewd observers thereby replacing
the danger of natural hemorrhages (“Bloodletting“
283-284).
An ancient greek representation of a bloodletting ceremony.
Respiratory conditions such as pneumonia and
bronchitis were frequently treated with bleeding
(Jones 24-25). Cerebral hemorrhaging and certain
heart conditions were treated with bleeding as well
(Dowse
608-609).
A small lancelet called a fleam c.
vintagemedical.com/pages/1088-41.html
1800s
Source:
The application of phlebotomy can be
seen in many different ways. A tourniquet was
often used for venesection in conjunction with a
small blade called a lancet. After the tourniquet
was applied, an incision would be made, and a
controlled bleeding would occur. For a minor
ailment, 4-6 ounces would be