Editing Bloodletting (section)

== Middle Ages ==
{{Multiple image
<!--image 1-->| image1            = Psalter 1340.jpg
| width1            = 150
| caption1          = 1335-1340, England. Physician or barber bleeding a patient
<!--image 2-->| image2            = Middleages.jpg
| width2            = 200
| caption2          = Circa 1300 A.D., Germany. A physician holds the patient's arm straight, while blood streams into a bowl. The knife used to cut the wound is on the table, a tourniquet on the floor. The caption refers to sanguineus blood.
}}

The [[Talmud]] recommended a specific day of the week and days of the month for bloodletting in the [[Shabbat (Talmud)|Shabbat tractate]],<ref>{{Cite Talmud|b|Shabbat|18|129b}}</ref> and similar rules, though less codified, can be found among [[Christianity|Christian]] writings advising which [[saint's day|saints' days]] were favourable for bloodletting.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} During medieval times bleeding charts were common, showing specific bleeding sites on the body in alignment with the planets and zodiacs.<ref name="Western Medical Tradition" /> [[Islamic medicine|Islamic medical authors]] also advised bloodletting, particularly for fevers. It was practised according to seasons and certain phases of the [[Moon]] in the [[lunar calendar]]. The practice was probably passed by the Greeks with the translation of ancient texts to [[Arabic language|Arabic]] and is different than [[Hijama|bloodletting by cupping]] [[Hadith|mentioned]] in the [[Sunnah|traditions]] of [[Muhammad]]. When Muslim theories became known in the [[Latin]]-speaking countries of [[Europe]], bloodletting became more widespread. Together with [[cautery]], it was central to [[Arab]]ic surgery; the key texts ''[[The Canon of Medicine|Kitab al-Qanun]]'' and especially ''{{lang|ar-Latn|[[Al-Tasrif|Al-Tasrif li-man 'ajaza 'an al-ta'lif]]}}'' both recommended it. It was also known in [[Ayurveda|Ayurvedic]] medicine, described in the ''Susruta Samhita''.
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The practice continued throughout the [[Middle Ages]] but began to be questioned in the 16th century, particularly in northern Europe and the [[Netherlands]]. In [[France]], the court and university physicians advocated frequent phlebotomy. In [[England]], the efficacy of bloodletting was hotly debated,<ref name="British Medical Journal" /> declining throughout the 18th century, and briefly revived for treating [[tropical fever]]s in the 19th century.
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