Spring Lancet

This brass spring lancet is a unique example of instruments commonly used in Germany, Austria, and the United States of America. In an era when many ailments were believed to result from an imbalance of blood, or plethora, physicians turned to bloodletting as a cure all. Physicians believed that draining a precise amount of blood could restore health and alleviate a wide range of conditions. The spring lancet’s innovative mechanical design set it apart from other bloodletting instruments, allowing physicians to make precise incisions through indirect force. Originating in Austria in the late 18th century, this mechanical innovation was part of a larger wave of experimentation and advancement in medical instruments driven by the Industrial Revolution and the growing capitalist market.
Compact and encased in brass, this particular lancet was designed for human patients. The instrument’s small size made it easily portable for house calls. The mechanical action allowed physicians to perform bloodletting with greater decorum than other instruments, such as the thumb lancet, which required direct manual pressure. The case not only concealed much of the spring mechanism but also featured fine engravings of decorative motifs, subtly distancing the patient from the more unsettling aspects of bloodletting while elevating the physician’s professional identity as an intellectual elite.
Despite the spring lancet’s advantages, it had a significant drawback. Due to its complex spring mechanism, the instrument was difficult to clean. Preceding the discovery of germ theory, physicians simply rinsed medical instruments in a basin of water when transferring between patients, a practice which often failed to remove harmful bacteria. As a result, the spring lancet had a much higher risk of transmitting infection than other bloodletting instruments. This made the spring lancet’s use, despite its elevated decorum, a high risk practice in an era predating modern practices of Western medicine.

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