Meredith in “Out for Blood”

Meredith

[voice over] Before the advent of surgery, many illnesses were treated with phlebotomy also known as bloodletting. Bloodletting is the withdrawal of blood from a patient to prevent or cure illness and disease. It was one of the most common medical practices performed by surgeons from ancient Greece until the late 19th century. It was one of the most common medical practices performed by surgeons from ancient Greece until the late 19th century. The practice has largely been abandoned, because we now know that in the overwhelming majority of cases, the use of bloodletting is harmful to patients. And yet, we did it as a standard medical practice for over 2,000 years. It wasn't a blip in the history of medicine. It was an era.