Phlebotomy

• in greek, phlebos means veins and tome means incision
• phlebotomy is an invasive procedure that involves the body through cutting or puncture
• phlebotomy is performed by a phlebotomist
• two main phlebotomy procedure are venipuncture and capillary puncture
• venipuncture is right through the vein
• capillary puncture is puncturing skin through small puncturing device
• bloodletting was believed to be a therapeutic session through removing blood in the body
• crude tools are the instrument used for bloodletting
• Hippocrates (460-377BC) is known to be the father of medicine
• the 4 humors are blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile
• William Harvey theory is about adjusting excess body fluids must be removed except blood
• 3 techniques are venesection, cupping, and leeching
• venesection comes from the latin word, vena means vein and sectio means cutting
• venesection uses scalpel, lancelets, and fleams
• cupping is the procedure that required placing suction cup over an area of skin to create a blister
• two types of cupping are dry cupping and wet cupping
• dry cupping is done through puncturing the skin and waiting for blood to come out
• wet cupping puts pressure and cuts the formed swollen skin to let the blood come out
• leeching is applied to the patients skin on the affected area to fill themselves with blood
• Hirudo medicinalis is the sicientific name of medicinal leech
• vasodilator, veins dilate when leech sticks
• George Washington, first US president that used bloodletting to cure his throat infection in 1799
• George Washington' blood was drained of estimated 40% volume or 2,500ml in 2 days