In the morning of 2 February 1685 with the English king Charles II happened stroke. Personal physician without further ADO opened a vein in his left hand and filled a basin of Royal blood. It was only the beginning: in the following days, the king has been even more intense tortures. Doctors put him enema and gave the tincture on the human skull. Then again drawing blood, after which he fell into a coma and never regained consciousness.

Most likely, Charles II died and would without the help of doctors, but less terrible story this is. To blame, however, is certain: that was the medicine of that time.

Bloodletting is very rarely useful. Moreover, almost never this procedure was not carried out with observance of all rules of hygiene. But today, ironically, this practice is returned: it turns out that sometimes it is necessary.

The authority in question was considered by the ancient physician Galen, who lived in the second century. He taught that the blood is formed from what we eat. It reaches the stomach, the food is liquefied and then sent to the liver, where it turns into the blood. Sometimes blood is produced in abundance, why and there are fever, headache and even strokes. So from excess liquid should be removed.

Some doctors believed that when all the vital importance of this practice it below their dignity. Here and asked people to the barbers, and they were ready for any services. By the way, at the entrance to the British hairdressing today are red-white poles, which symbolize this part of the profession. The post itself is reminiscent of the stick, which he gripped the patient to swelled veins, and the copper ball on top of it means a basin of blood collection. Red-white stripes - it's bloody bandages. They washed and dried in the back yard, wound on a pole.

Most experts used a double-edged knife Lancet, later gave the name to the most respected medical journal. Knives were of different sizes, in order not to cut too deep vein. Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates warned colleagues: "In some parts of the body the blood runs so fast that it does not stop.

German surgeon XVI century Hans von Gersdorff allocated 41 place, suitable for bloodletting: the forehead, neck, hands, wrists, hips, genitals and others In those days it was believed that at heart, chest and head their veins, so the nature of the disease indicated, in what place should shred. For example, for the treatment of bleeding from the nose Galen advised to pierce his knee on the back side.

In 1628 was published by the English physician William Harvey De Motu Cordis (On motion of the heart"), in which he first described how the blood circulates throughout the body. After that, in most cases, the blood began to start from the median cubital vein on the inside of the forearm.

The apogee of this practice reached in the XVIII century. People parted with blood not only during illness, but also in the preventive purposes is usually in the spring, which was associated with the revival and renewal. The average person is so firmly believed in the healing power of this barbarous method that I asked to let him blood. For example, in the morning on December 14, 1799, George Washington complained of difficulty breathing. Fearing that the doctor may not be able, he asked about the service overseer slaves. Cut very deep, and the patient has lost too much blood before the wound closed. Once arrived the doctor, the poor guy blew blood four times within eight hours. By the evening of the first President of the USA did not. Later, one of his doctors, James Craik, admitted that he had concerns about too much blood loss...

Only by the middle of the XIX century bloodletting gave way to other methods, resulting from the new understanding of the etiology of diseases and clinical processes. Today, however, this practice is proposed to revive in aid for obesity. The fact that overweight people have a whole bunch: high pressure, high cholesterol and poor control of blood sugar levels, which is a precondition for the development of diabetes. All together this is called metabolic syndrome.

One of the little known, but common symptoms of metabolic syndrome is a high level of iron, which appears to be the result of genetic predisposition and abundance in the diet products red meat. It remains unclear how these factors interact, but high iron is considered by some increase your blood pressure and poor control of blood sugar levels. This indicator is also related to fatty liver disease is another condition caused primarily unhealthy diets.

When we give blood (as a rule, it is 470 ml)for reduction of iron to normal levels require several weeks. Maybe at least some of the effects of obesity can be handled by regular bloodletting?

One recent study showed that the answer to this question may be positive. In the experiment took part 64 people with obesity and metabolic syndrome. Half of them parted first with 300 ml, and in a month - even with 250-500 ml After six weeks after the start of the study, the patients of this group pressure, cholesterol and sugar took a step towards the norm.

This is just one test, besides small and short, but the effect obtained, and it is necessary to move further. Besides its results correlate with a couple of other small studies that have shown the benefit of bloodshed for people with high blood pressure or diabetes. Given the current epidemic of obesity and its socio-economic consequences, this direction of research should be a priority.

Well, until it came into wide practice, people with high levels of iron and metabolic syndrome or fatty liver disease may become blood donors as often as it allows the law. For example, in the UK, men are allowed to donate blood every three months, women every four months. In Russia, according to our doctors, people stronger: men are waiting in the points five times a year, women - four. The minimum timeout is set to 60 days.

Prepared according to NewScientist.