Bloodletting as medical therapy for 2500 years
Research article published in Tidsskrift for den Norske laegeforening (1999)
Abstract
Bloodletting has been part of the history of medicine for more than 2500 years. Up to the end of the Middle Ages, the rationale for bloodletting originated from the ancient greek humoral theory. The great scientific progress from the 16th century and onward, apparently did not weaken its position. Prominent physicians such as Andreas Vesalius (1514-64), William Harvey (1578-1657) and Thomas Sydenham (1624-89) defended bloodletting. In the beginning of the 19th century the use of leeches became the major technique of bloodletting in Europe. In Norway bloodletting was mentioned in royal decrees from the 13th century, and the method became popular in folk medicine. At the end of the 19th century bloodletting came at last to be regarded as ineffective for most of its traditional purposes, and its use declined rapidly. Today, however, bloodletting is being restored in modern medicine as the most effective method of treating the increasing frequent disorders caused by iron overload.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Summary
Bloodletting as medical therapy for 2500 years.
Why This Matters for Hirudotherapy
This historical article reviews the 2,500-year medical history of bloodletting from ancient Greek humoral theory through the 19th century, noting that the use of leeches became the major bloodletting technique in Europe during that period. The article describes the rapid decline of bloodletting at the end of the 19th century as it came to be regarded as ineffective for most traditional purposes, and states that bloodletting is being restored in modern medicine as the most effective method of treating disorders caused by iron overload. This provides historical context for the prominence and subsequent fall from favor of medicinal leeching, though the abstract provides no data on the leech secretome, modern hirudotherapy techniques, or clinical efficacy of leech therapy itself.
Citation
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