Civil War Fleam Bloodletting Scarification Tool

Now this is an oddly cool find!!

How about an antique (Civil War!) era bloodletting tool?

Known as a a “Fleam”, these medical devices were used from the 17th century until the late 1800’s for both humans, as well as animals.  For hundreds of years it was believed that bleeding out some of the “bad” blood would help a person recover from illness or injury, and this even applied to animal care!

This Fleam was used by placing the sharp point against the skin and then hitting the back of the blade with a small wood mallet to cause a rapid puncturing of the skin.

Bloodletting (or blood-letting) is the withdrawal of blood from a patient to cure or prevent illness and disease. Bloodletting was based on an ancient system of medicine in which blood and other bodily fluids were regarded as “humors” that had to remain in proper balance to maintain health. It is claimed to have been the most common medical practice performed by surgeons from antiquity until the late 19th century, a span of almost 2,000 years