Bloodletting Instruments in the National Museum of History and Technology

** "Bloodletting Instruments in the National Museum of History and Technology" by Audrey B. Davis is a study into the bloodletting instruments at the National Museum of History and Technology. The book catalogs and chronicles the development, uses, and importance of bloodletting instruments in medical treatments throughout history. It connects the historical setting to the equipment, with an eye toward the tools employed in this traditional therapeutic method. Bloodletting's historical roots as a common medical practice across cultures and time are covered in the beginning of the book, which details the diverse tools used for therapeutic purposes, including lancets, cupping implements, and leeches. The book also outlines the two types of bloodletting procedures, general and local and details how they were used throughout history. Also, the book puts the Smithsonian collection in context, emphasizing its function as a tool for understanding medical procedures and all the different types of tools that were made to help with bloodletting. **