Bloodletting by phlebotomy, wet cupping and leeches

roles of the Brazilian nurses’ techinique (1916-1942)

Authors

  • Ricardo Quintão Vieira
  • Leila Maria Rissi Caverni

Keywords:

History of Nursing, Nursing Care, Bloodletting, Leeches

Abstract

Introduction: bloodlettings are legacies of antiquity, common in medical treatments and nursing technique taught in Brazil. Objective: To describe the teaching of technique of bloodletting by the first graduates Brazilian nurses. Method: it’s a descriptive and historical research, based on nursing care, with time frame from 1890 to 1949. Books andjournal articles were consulted in that period, approaching each bloodletting technique. Results: four books were written by doctors and nurses, indicated that the nursing students learned to assist or apply techniques of phlebotomy, wet cupping and leech. Phlebotomy was performed in direct (venous-section) and indirect (holes) modes. The wet cupping was the production of wounds and extraction by vacuum with scarifiers devices. The leech was a windy and natural living wet cup, which demanded peculiar techniques
for placement and removal of the skin, with many precautions. Conclusions: bloodletting were consisted of routine procedures, but painful and radical for patients. In addition, they brought many occupational hazards for nurses, either by exposure to blood, or by manipulating live animals.

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References

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Published

2015-07-01

How to Cite

Vieira, R. Q., & Caverni, L. M. R. (2015). Bloodletting by phlebotomy, wet cupping and leeches: roles of the Brazilian nurses’ techinique (1916-1942). História Da Enfermagem: Revista Eletrônica (HERE), 6(2), 234–248. Retrieved from https://aben.emnuvens.com.br/here/article/view/324

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