health

History of Cauterization

The Ancient Greeks described using a precursor to a cautery (they look like red hot scalpels or other medical instruments) to destroy tumors, act as a bloodless knife, or as a counter-irritant. Later they did use an actual cautery to close up bleeding arteries. Yes, this was before stitches. This procedure is still used today, in a more sterile form, to destroy blisters, stop severe bleeding, and perform amputations.

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