Why Did Phlebotomy Get Started?

The term phlebotomy has had different meanings over the years. It can be traced back to before Hippocrates in the 5th century B.C., when phlebotomy was a common practice to treat diseased patients.

Early History

• From ancient times up until the late 19th century, medicine based its diagnoses and treatments on the four body "humors": blood, phlegm, yellow and black bile. Back then, phlebotomy involved bloodletting to purge the disease from the body.

The Barber Pole

• In addition to surgeons, barbers used to practice bloodletting. The red and white barber pole was an advertisement for such services. The red stood for blood and the white signified a tourniquet, while the pole itself represented a stick the patient was made to squeeze.

Misconceptions

• By the end of the 19th century, bloodletting was debunked as useless. Patients easily fainted from having too much blood drained, did not recover from their illness and sometimes died as a result of the practice.

Modern Times

• Since the late 19th century, phlebotomy has meant the practice of drawing blood for laboratory testing and transfusion. You must be properly trained in the practice, typically at least as a licensed practical nurse, to be allowed to draw blood.