Lancet, steel, with fish-shaped wooden sheath, India, 1801-1920

Lancets are sharp medical tools used for treatment including blood letting. Blood letting is a technique that has been used in many cultures across the world for thousands of years. Each medical system of thought has their own reasoning for doing so.

In Ayurvedic medicine, blood letting is carried out at specific parts of the body to rebalance health and to prevent illness. In Unani Tibb, waste and toxins in the body are thought to cause disease. Blood letting is one way to remove these.