Phlebotomise (Verb)
Meaning
Draw blood; "In the old days, doctors routinely bled patients as part of the treatment".
Classification
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care.
Examples
- The medieval physician would phlebotomise his patient to balance the four humors and supposedly cure the illness.
- In ancient times, doctors would phlebotomise patients to release the so-called bad blood that was believed to cause various diseases.
- To treat this condition, the doctor would order his assistant to phlebotomise the patient using a lancet or a fleam.
- The barber-surgeon would often phlebotomise patients as a treatment for a range of ailments, from headaches to rheumatism.
- Back then, it was common for doctors to phlebotomise their patients as a way to release 'excess' blood, under the theory of bad blood.