[vi]
Balneātor scarificat scalprō & applicandō cucurbitās
extrahit sanguinem subcutāneum, quem abstergit spongiā.
The bath-keeper lances with a lancet and by applying cupping-glasses
he draws the blood between the skin and the flesh, which he wipes away with a
sponge.
[i] image #1: cucurbita, -ae [1/f]: [i] gourd, squash, (Neo-Latin)
pumpkin; [ii] cupping-glass, used in the operation of drawing blood; the term conveys
the shape of the glass
[ii] scalprum, -ī [2/n]: lancet; knife > (diminutive) scalpellum,
-ī [2/n]: a small surgical knife > Engl. scalpel
image #2: bronze lancet found at Ephesus (Science Museum, UK)
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/03/100625-blunt-razors-blood-letting-and_6.html
Bloodletting and lancing were normally associated with barber-surgeons
who, alongside cutting hair and shaving, would perform minor surgery, for
example tooth extraction and the treatment of wounds. Here, Comenius refers to
the practice being carried out by bath attendants.
The same medical practices took place in Ancient Rome although
whether minor surgical procedures were performed at the actual location of the
baths is less certain. However, the medicinal benefits of bathing are referred
to by, for example, Celsus.
Images #3 and #4: bloodletting in Ancient Greece and the Middle Ages
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