Verevõtmist

Verevõtmist, a term often translated as bloodletting, refers to the historical practice of withdrawing blood from a patient as a medical treatment. This method was widely believed to cure or prevent a variety of illnesses by removing "corrupt" or "excess" blood, thereby restoring balance to the body's humors. The practice dates back to ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, and remained a common medical intervention across Europe and other parts of the world for centuries.

Various tools were used for verevõtmist, including lancets, fleams, and scarificators, which were designed to make incisions or punctures in veins or arteries. The amount of blood removed could vary significantly depending on the patient's condition and the physician's judgment. Leeches were also employed for bloodletting, a method known as hirudotherapy. While often administered by physicians, barbers also commonly performed bloodletting procedures.

The underlying theory of verevõtmist was rooted in humoral pathology, a medical doctrine that posited the body contained four essential fluids or humors: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. Illness was thought to arise from an imbalance of these humors, and bloodletting was intended to correct this imbalance. Despite its widespread use, the efficacy of bloodletting was often questioned, and its effectiveness for many conditions is not supported by modern medical understanding. The practice gradually declined in the 19th century with the advancement of medical knowledge and the development of more evidence-based treatments, and is now considered an obsolete and potentially harmful medical procedure.