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Medical Terminology
Medical Terminology
Most of the medical terminology we have today is derived from Greek and Latin. Looking at the root words of these terms will help you to better understand them and their connotations.
phle·bot·o·my
/fləˈbädəmē/
noun: phlebotomy; plural noun: phlebotomies
the surgical opening or puncture of a vein in order to withdraw blood or introduce a fluid, or (historically) as part of the procedure of letting blood.
"phleb-" is a Greek prefix meaning "vein"
"-tomy" is a Greek suffix meaning "to cut"
ven·i·punc·ture
/ˈvēnəˌpəNGk(t)SHər/
noun: venipuncture
the puncture of a vein as part of a medical procedure, typically to withdraw a blood sample or for an intravenous injection.
"vena" is Latin meaning "Vein"
"puncture" is English meaning "to make a small hole"
Bloodletting
Bloodletting
In previous medical ages, Phlebotomy was formerly known as bloodletting. Historically, bloodletting was a medical practice used to cure people of practically all diseases. Essentially the practitioners of bloodletting were trying to bleed out the disease or infection. Some believed that the body was ill due to having too much blood or liquid in the body. This practice started in the ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian cultures, as far back as 3000 years. The "doctor" would take their ill patient and use a lancet or sharpened piece of wood to cut the vein in either the forearm or an artery in the neck. Blood would spill out and be collected. Sometimes leeches were used to suck the blood out. For some cultures, especially the Egyptians, this process was a combination of religion, magic, science and medicine. Some patients survived and healed, and many did not.
The BARBER Pole
The BARBER Pole
The Medieval Time period continued the practice of bloodletting until in the 12th century when Pope Alexander III prohibited priests, monks, and all clergymen from performing any procedures relating to blood. When this change was made the primary job of performing bloodletting went to the barbers. The monks in the church were primarily the ones who cared for the sick. The barbers would assist them in caring for the sick in addition to keeping the monks clean shaven. But barbers did more than just cut hair, shave heads and shave beards. They also performed cupping, tooth extractions, amputations, set broken bones, and much more. If a physician found a task too boring or routine, they would send the patient to the barber to have the procedure performed. Bloodletting became just another one of those procedures.
The classically seen barber pole outside a barber shop is connected to the practice of bloodletting. The red stripe represents blood and the white represents the bandages. The pole itself represents the stick that the patient would squeeze to get their blood flowing. In Europe, poles are red and white. In America, a blue stripe was added. This blue stripe has no determined meaning. Some theorize that it's because veins appear blue in the body, others believe it's just a demonstration of American patriotism.
Therapeutic phlebotomy
Therapeutic phlebotomy
Although bloodletting is not the same as it used to be, there is a similar procedure that does exist today. It is called Therapeutic Phlebotomy. Modern practices are much cleaner and appropriate. Polycythemia Vera is a condition in which a patient has an abnormally high red blood cell count. The practice of decreasing the blood volume to a specific value to treat a blood disorder is called Therapeutic Phlebotomy. Another instance in which a patient might receive this procedure is if they have high amounts of iron in their blood (called Hemochromatosis). A patient might also require a therapeutic phlebotomy if they have a pulmonary edema. Today, we do not use therapeutic phlebotomy to drain infections or to treat headaches and fevers. Medicine has come a long way and we now know that blood is essential in healing our bodies as it contains our white blood cells, or our immune system's defense mechanism.
FUN FACT: George Washington's Death
FUN FACT: George Washington's Death
Although apocryphal in nature, the story surrounding the death of the first president of the United States, George Washington, is very interesting. On December 13, 1799, Washington found himself suffering from a sore throat which progressed quickly that day making him feel very ill. He asked to have a bloodletting procedure performed, so the next day his physicians drained 5-7 pints of blood in less than 16 hours! He died the next day on December 14. Blood loss perhaps? We can only assume.
RETURN TO THE GOOGLE CLASSROOM AND DO THE PRACTICE WORKSHEET.
For more information and references on the reading material found in Section 1: History of Phlebotomy, click the link below. Test questions will be based on the reading in the sections and not from more information found in external references and website links.
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