A surgeon binding up a woman's arm after bloodletting. Oil painting by Jacob Toorenvliet, 1666.

  • Toornvliet, Jacob, 1635-1719.
Reference:
44999i
  • Pictures
  • Online

Available online

view A surgeon binding up a woman's arm after bloodletting. Oil painting by Jacob Toorenvliet, 1666.

Public Domain Mark

You can use this work for any purpose without restriction under copyright law. Read more about this licence.

Credit

A surgeon binding up a woman's arm after bloodletting. Oil painting by Jacob Toorenvliet, 1666. Public Domain Mark. Source: Wellcome Collection.

About this work

Description

Bloodletting from a vein was recommended when the hot and the wet were considered excessive, either in the body as a whole or in a particular part of the body. The surgeon would typically pierce a vein with the tip of a lancet-blade, and collect the blood in a bowl. Two such bowls are shown on the table in the painting. The surgeon is either undoing a tourniquet which was used to collect the blood in the forearm, or bandaging the incision

Physical description

1 painting : oil on copper ; copper 50.4 x 39.9 cm

Lettering

J Toorenvliet inventor et fecit A. 1666

References note

Corrado Lavini, Medicina ed arti figurative: due mondi affascinanti, un rapporto profondo e complesso, Modena 2009, p. 97 (reproduced)

Exhibitions note

Exhibited in "Medicine Man" at Wellcome Collection, 26 March - 4 November 2018

Reference

Wellcome Collection 44999i

Where to find it

  • LocationStatusAccess
    Closed stores

Permanent link