- Rituals
Blood-Letting
Uses:
For mental illnesses such as melancholy and dramatic personality changes.
Method:
Simply cut the patient, usually along a vein in the forearm, and drain. As you can see above, slicing the end of a finger is also effective.
This cure has been passed down through the ages, originating with Empedocles (504-443 B.C.) (4). He developed the idea of the four elements: earth, fire, air and water, whose qualities are cold, heat, dryness and moisture. Disruptions of these qualities in a body can cause some forms of insanity.
From Empedocles' idea emerged the theory of the four humors:
Blood - in the heart
Yellow Bile - in the liver
Black Bile - in the spleen
Phlegm - in the brain.
Mental illnesses also arise from a disorder of the four humors. Therefore, drawing blood removes the offending humor.
Again, to demonstrate the effectiveness of this method, both King Charles II and King George III were seen by phlebotomists. (5)