Description
Bleeding was accepted as a cure for a wide variety of medical complaints since Hippocrates’ teachings in the 5th century BC. It continued to be a popular until the 20th century. Physicians were known to have kept and consulted complex charts that showed which parts of the body should be bleed for each illness.

The lancet is a popular blood letting instrument. Early blood letters would have used a sharp stone or piece of wood to “breath a vein”. Blood would then drain from the vein into a bleeding bowl.

In the 18th and early 19th centuries bloodletting was a fashionable art and lancet cases reflected this. Made from silver, tortoise-shell and shagreen (coloured fish skin) they are often highly decorative.

Cases usually hold several blades so that the surgeon was prepared for opening veins of varying sizes. Hippocrates had cautioned those carrying out bloodletting that "there are certain parts of the body which have a swift current of blood which it is not easy to stop." A small incision was vital, as was the absolute necessity not to spill a single drop of blood if the surgeon was to retain his reputation.

11/08/2006
Created by: updated by Ruth Horry on 11/08/2006