Bloodletting a popular form of treatment that disappeared
Research article published in Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde (2007)
Abstract
Bloodletting, based on the humoural pathology of Hippocrates and Galen, was done in various ways for thousands of years: phlebotomy, cupping and the use of leeches. There were broad indications for applying this form of treatment. In the 19th century, P.C.A. Louis demonstrated that bloodletting was not an optimal form of treatment for pneumonia. His study was designed in accordance with the first principles of epidemiology. Epidemiology, together with the rise of Virchow's cellular pathology, contributed to the disappearance of bloodletting. The use of leeches still has a place in the medicine of the 21st century in the form of enzymes from the saliva of the leech.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Summary
Bloodletting a popular form of treatment that disappeared.
Why This Matters for Hirudotherapy
This historical article reviews bloodletting as practiced for thousands of years through phlebotomy, cupping, and the application of leeches, tracing its foundations in Hippocratic and Galenic humoural pathology and its eventual decline following P.C.A. Louis's epidemiological studies demonstrating its suboptimal efficacy for pneumonia and the rise of Virchow's cellular pathology. The authors note that leech-based therapy persists into the 21st century in the form of salivary enzyme preparations. For ASH's domain, this article provides directly relevant historical context for the evolution of hirudotherapy from a dominant (if now largely discredited) medical practice to a modern, enzyme-focused modality. However, the article is purely historical with no original data, clinical findings, or laboratory research; its value is contextual rather than scientific, and it does not address contemporary hirudotherapy evidence.
Citation
Added to ASH library: May 27, 2026 · Site last updated: June 18, 2026