Bloodletting practices

Bloodletting was an ancient medical practice where blood was intentionally withdrawn from the patient to treat various ailments. It was based on the belief that illness resulted from an imbalance of humors—blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile—and that removing blood could restore health. Practitioners used tools like leeches or cupping and often performed multiple sessions. While now considered ineffective and sometimes harmful, bloodletting persisted for centuries and influenced early medical thinking. It reflects historical efforts to understand and manage health prior to modern scientific medicine.