Bloodletting Instruments in the National Museum of History and Technology

This volume opens a window onto a forgotten side of medical practice, guiding listeners through the National Museum of History and Technology’s collection of blood‑letting tools. The authors weave a concise history of the procedure, from ancient scalpels to the elaborate cupping sets that once lined barber‑surgeon shops, while the richly detailed photographs bring each artifact to life.

The text explores how changing ideas about disease shaped the design of lancets, spring‑action devices, leech jars, and even veterinary instruments. By examining the craftsmanship, materials, and recorded uses of more than a hundred pieces, the study reveals the cultural and scientific forces that kept bloodletting in vogue for centuries, and hints at the debates that eventually led to its decline. Listeners will come away with a clear sense of how these objects illustrate the evolving relationship between technology and healing.