In the past, without modern medical procedures, bloodletting therapy was seen as a treatment for many different diseases. They believe that releasing part of the blood from the body can restore a person's health. And from ancient times to the late 19th century, it was believed that diseases, especially those with symptoms such as fever and sweating, were caused by excessive blood in the body. As a medical tool, leeches are often used to remove "harmful" blood, but this has also led to the premature death of many people, including famous historical figures such as George Washington and King Charles II. What's even more frightening is that in the Middle Ages, sometimes barbers would also perform this operation.
Because we have a better understanding of its application today, bloodletting still has its own uses today, especially because leech live therapy can restore the flow of blood in the human body to help those who reconnect their fingers and even limbs to the body through surgery.
It is said that bloodletting therapy originated in ancient Egypt
Although we can't be sure when bloodletting therapy began, historians are pretty sure that the ancient Egyptians began the practice. The oldest descriptions of it have been found in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, and date back more than 3,000 years. From this we learned that some of the earliest methods of bloodletting even included tearing the skin apart with sharpened wood. However, this is only the first time that bloodletting has been mentioned in words and pictures – so bloodletting may have been possible earlier.
Barbers also do bloodletting, which is why the barber's pole has red stripes
In medieval times, hairdressers would help doctors through their own methods of bloodletting, after all they had sharp tools. The traditional barber lever comes from this practice – white and red stripes, representing bandages (white) and blood (red) during surgery. Presumably, the poles resemble the bloody white towels that the barber displays outside the storefront. Although some barber bars may also have blue colors, this other color is considered by some to be the color of the blood vessels that barbers want to open. In England in the mid-16th century, barbers were banned from performing surgery, although they would still work as amateur dentists. It was not until 1745 that the duties of the barber and surgeon were completely separated.
Hippocrates believed that bloodletting was a way to maintain the balance of the four bodily fluids
Bloodletting therapy revolves around Hippocrates' four theories of body fluids. In 2300 BC, he proposed the concept in Greece and continued until the 19th century. Hippocrates believed that the human body consisted of four bodily fluids— black bile, phlegm, yellow bile, and blood. When a person is sick, it is caused by one or more of his body fluid imbalances, and the only way to solve this problem is to remove some of the body fluids.
Four bodily fluids also correspond to the seasons, to a particular organ and element: black bile to winter, earth and spleen; Phlegm corresponds to autumn, water, brain; Yellow bile corresponds to summer, fire, and bile; Blood corresponds to spring, air and heart. And the weather conditions of these seasons also help to diagnose problems and come up with solutions. If someone has a fever and sweats a lot, then there is too much blood in their body.
In ancient Greece, leeches were placed on people's gums, lips, and even pregnant bellies
Bloodletting is usually done in veins in the elbow or knee, which are easily accessible to practitioners. However, it is believed that there are still some places in the body that need to be bloodletting, but these places are too small to be used for many bloodletting tools, so this has a place for leeches. In 80-40 B.C., Timison, an early doctor living in Greece, said leeches could be placed on fingers, noses, lips, gums and, even more frighteningly, on a woman's pregnant belly.
Doctors in the medieval period believed that leeches could treat flatulence
Long before scientists realized that bacteria can cause disease, doctors blamed many diseases on too much blood (and evil spirits) in the body. For example, the Black Death, typhus, pneumonia, and even the common cold are all blamed on the imbalance of the four bodily fluids. In medieval times, doctors also believed that small problems such as flatulence could also be cured by bloodletting. By the 19th century, British doctors claimed that bloodletting could cure acne, diabetes, indigestion, smallpox and other diseases, ironically, there were nosebleeds and "menorrhagia", which could also be treated by bloodletting.
The Catholic Church refuses to allow monks and priests to undergo bloodletting
Until 1163 AD, Catholic priests and monks were able to bleed their elect. However, in the same year, Pope Alexander III issued a decree declaring such acts barbaric and prohibiting any religious clergy from committing them. Although these priests and monks can still undergo this procedure if they are sick, they must see a hairdresser or surgeon just like everyone else.
George Washington may have died of bloodletting therapy
George Washington died on December 14, 1799. Just the day before, he had a sore throat, which was probably why he had been outside in the snow for most of December 12. He was 67 years old at the time, probably with a mild cold, and perhaps the onset of pneumonia. However, because Washington believed that bloodletting could cure many diseases, he asked his personal doctor to release half a pint (about 0.2 liters) of blood from his body.
When Washington was still feeling unwell, he asked for more blood — and that happened several times throughout the night. In about 12 hours, Washington excreted a total of 3.75 liters of blood through bloodletting, compared with an average of only 4.7 to 5.5 liters of blood on the human body, according to records. So it seems certain that he eventually died because of the lack of blood in his body.
Leeches have been used in modern surgery because they restore blood flow
Although bloodletting therapy is now widely regarded as a misguided medical method, leeches are still used in modern medicine. Because the tiny creatures secrete a compound that prevents blood from clotting, causing blood to flow to any part of their body that attaches to them, it is good for body parts to reconnect to the body, or to areas of the body that have blood circulation problems. For example, if a person loses a finger, while reconnecting them together through surgery, leeches can help stimulate blood flow back in the attached area.
In the 19th century, bloodletting and leeches were used to treat American soldiers
The American Civil War is also known for its many terrible medical procedures. Crushing and infected limbs are removed to prevent gangrene from spreading throughout the body, and the procedure usually does not use any anesthetic. Leech and bloodletting therapy are also common treatments, especially for soldiers who are sick on the battlefield. Waterborne diseases such as typhoid fever often spread in soldiers' camps, so doctors on the front lines would also rely on methods such as bloodletting to treat them.
Bleeding with leeches is safer than cutting an artery with a knife
All leeches inject a natural anesthetic into the victim, so it is difficult to tell whether the leech is attached to their own body without observation. They also secrete an anticoagulant that prevents blood from clotting when eating, and an antibiotic that protects the area from infection. Coupled with the fact that leeches will only eat until they are full, this method of bloodletting is safer than cutting the veins with a dirty knife. And even standard bloodletting procedures can sometimes go uncontrolled – because opening a vein with a metal object is not always properly sterilized and can be difficult to close again, especially before the advent of modern medical technology.
In addition, although leeches of any kind were used in the early days of leech therapy, specialized medicinal leeches began to appear after the advent of the 18th century, and although wild leeches can still be found in parts of Europe and North America today, they are becoming very rare due to overfishing.
Bloodletting tools range from fancy to ordinary
During the centuries when bloodletting was prevalent, many tools were invented to simplify the process. One of these inventions was the bloodletting needle/knife, which had multiple blades of different thicknesses, so doctors could choose the best one to use depending on the patient's condition. Lancets were also used, and these small metal blades were easy to fold and sometimes had ivory carved handles.
At that time, bloodletting therapy also used different tools for different groups of people, deliberately distinguishing respected practitioners from barbarians. Before and during the application of the therapy, glass containers are often used to preserve leeches.
Charles II asked his 14 doctors to release blood from his body in a cupping-like manner
Cupping was used to help Michael Phelps restore blood flow and heal sore muscles. In 1685, King Charles II of England used cupping as an unusual bloodletting technique, pumping blood out of the body by sucking it. The problem was that Charles II was likely to end up having a seizure or stroke, and the treatment that drew his blood didn't help him at all. In fact, this in turn contributed to his death, because it made the already sick man even weaker. And eventually fell into a coma and never woke up again.