Bloodletting was long considered to be a panacea. According to the humoral theory, it was sometimes necessary to remove some blood in order to bring balance among the four fluids of the body.
Bloodletting fell out of favor during the second half of the 19th century and is now only used in certain very specific conditions such as polycythaemia vera and hemochromatosis. It remained popular within folk and alternative medicine – some people still undergo cupping or apply leeches, which is of course a type of bloodletting.
This photo was taken by ethnologist Nils Keyland in Mangskog parish, Värmland, Sweden in 1922. The man is holding a type of bloodletting instrument known as a fleam.
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