Medical History Exhibits

July 30, 2004 10:27 PM

The relief of pain and suffering, and the history of bloodletting, courtesy of the UCLA Online Medical Library Online Exhibits.
posted by plep (3 comments total)

I love looking at exhibits like these, thank you so much for sharing. True story: one of the strategies my doctor suggested for combatting my migraines was donating blood, and amazingly enough, it worked. I guess they weren't entirely crazy back then!
posted by headspace at 6:16 AM on July 31, 2004

Hemochromatosis, or an excess of iron in the blood is not uncommon in men, and can have several bad effects.
And under some circumstances, I can imagine how giving a pint or two of blood might have a theraputic effect on the body, as kind of a natural dialysis. That is, if you have a build up of something in your blood, or really, blood plasma, losing some and having it replaced might be mildly beneficial.
I suggest these possibilities on the off-chance that maybe they weren't entirely off-base; perhaps blood-letting is not unlike the use of medicinal leeches--a misunderstood technology.
posted by kablam at 8:15 AM on July 31, 2004

Great links as always, plep. Thanks!
posted by homunculus at 11:26 PM on August 1, 2004