Obsolete medical procedures

right|framed|Ancient Greek painting on a vase, showing a physician (iatros) bleeding a patient Bloodletting (or blood-letting) is the deliberate withdrawal of blood from a patient to prevent or cure illness and disease. Bloodletting, whether by a physician or by leeches, was based on an ancient system of medicine in which blood and other bodily fluids were regarded as "humors" that had to remain in proper balance to maintain health. It was the most common medical practice performed by surgeons from antiquity until the late 19th century, a span of over 2,000 years. In Europe, the practice conti

medical test for patients with vitamin B12 deficiency

insufflation of tobacco smoke into the rectum