Reasons for Bloodletting
Throughout its rise in popularity, bloodletting gained wide-ranging applications. In its prime, this practice was employed to address numerous ailments including asthma, cancer, gout, convulsions, indigestion, smallpox, tuberculosis, insanity, jaundice, and plague, among others. It was even utilized as a remedy for excessive menstruation and nosebleeds. In fact, a French physician in 1623 claimed that bloodletting had the power to cure heartbreak.
Venesection: A Historical Method of Bloodletting
Venesection, a technique commonly used for bloodletting, involved the use of a lancet and fleam to puncture a vein, typically the medial cubital vein located near the elbow. Although fleams were primarily used in veterinary practices, there are instances of their use in human medicine as well. In addition to the medial cubital vein, physicians would sometimes open other veins during the procedure. Following bloodletting, cupping was occasionally employed to remove air from the incision site.