Cupping Set

Roman Cupping Jar

Brass Lamp

Scarificator

19th century

A smooth sided brass rectangular box that divides into two sections. Has a trigger switch lever on top for movement of the twelve small matching blades. It has two sets of blades, each with six cutting edges.

The Scarificator was introduced in the late eighteenth century and became known as a 'mechanical leech', the 'new' and 'modern' machine method of bloodletting. When release catch is thrown the blades retract. Has two screws for opening box.

(1990:018)

Cupping Jar

19th Century Cupping Jar

Thick straight wall (to dome) glass cup with rounded thick base.

Donated By: Guy's School of Nursing

(1990:014)

Cupping Jar

Nineteenth Century glass cupping jar

Thin glass oval-shaped cup with lipped rim.Hand blown cupping jar with ground smooth pontil.

Donated By: Guy's School of Nursing

(1990:015)

Lamp or Burner

Nineteenth Century cupping or exhausting lamp. British made: 'A.F.M.' on base.

Donated By: Guy's School of Nursing

(1990:017)

Cupping Box

C. 1840

Purple Velvet Lined Case of Phlebotomy and Cupping Instruments made by Weiss, 62 The Strand, London.

Purple velvet lined wooden box with inlaid brass work corners and banding. Divided into three sections with additional gully. Has two small inner lid covers, one with red tab, one with Weiss manufacturer's label. Contains cupping and scarification instruments.

Box contains; 3 Cupping jars with brass taps fitted on top, 4 Tortoise shell covered lancets (2 with rounded tip blades and 2 pointed), 1 stand with 3 sets of blades, 2 Sets of blades, 3 Chamoise leather hand sewn pouches for cupping glasses. Label on a small inner section lid, reads, "WEISS // SURGICAL INSTRUMENT MANUFACTURERS // and Every type of Cutlery // 62 The Strand // Razor Makers to the King". Box has key. Lock is stamped with Patent and a crown image. "To the King" and 'Weiss Improved Scarificator' patent date box to circa 1830.

(1990:020)

Cupping Jar

Nineteenth Century Cupping Jar

Larger jar in photograph (on the left). Thin glass oval shaped inverted cup with lipped rim. Cup is damaged with a hole in the glass on one side.

Donated By: Guy's School of Nursing

(1990:016)

Roman Cupping Jar

Modern replica of original dated 79AD

A shiny brass bell with circular hanging ring, tapers down to the opening. A reproduction of an original cupping jar dating circa 79AD, excavated from Pompeii in 1748. This object was spun from brass in the traditional ancient manner by modern artisan Nodge Nolan. Mr Nolan also made our AD50 replica instruments. He also made a first generation copy of that set for The British Museum (see surgical page).

(2001:071)

Brass Lamp

Early 20th Century

Brass Fumigation Lamp. Brass tube with screw thread at each end. Wick runs through the centre. Screw cap attached to each end.

Lamps such as these were also used in the Nineteenth Century for cupping a patient. An item contained within midwife Ethel Williams' Midwifery case. Ethel trained at Guy's Hospital between 1906 and 1910, and items within the case were used at home births. The case and contents were included in the NHS 50 exhibition shown in 1998.

Loaned By: Mr Edward Williams

(1990:028)

Four Lancets

Four 19th century lancets made by Cluney. Small pocket type knife, each blade protected by its own attached tortoiseshell cover

1990:020f

Fleam

19th century three blade fleam with buffalo horn handle. Chunky pocket knife with three thick blades, each with a small tomahawk-like extension. Blades fold into the buffalo horn case handle. One blade is marked 'Brown'. There is a space for a (missing) lancet.

Likely to be a veterinary fleam used in the nineteenth century for the treatment of horses. A human fleam is similar, but of slightly finer gauge blades (as seen within the phlebotomy collection of The Royal Society of Physicians). Wilf Lunn stated that the fleam case is made of buffalo horn and that the fleam is traditionally used with a 'bloodstick', a specialist wooden hammer.

Donated By: Mr Wilf Lunn

(1995:009)

Leech Jar

19th Century Water White Glass Leech Jar With Stem.

The jar would have had a parchment cover bound over the top, pierced with holes to let the leeches breathe. The Jar would possibly also have contained damp moss and/or water. Plainer Leech Jars were kept at the back of apothecary shops, (as opposed to highly decorated ceramic, lidded, bowl type containers, which were placed on show in shop windows, and on sideboards etc.). Leeches have 3 jaws (triradiate), each with 65 teeth and this bite leaves a wound like a triradiate star. Due to the injection of hirudin by the leech in order to maintain bloodflow, the wound will keep bleeding for up to 12 hours.

(1998:013)

Fleam

Four Bladed Pocket Fleam made by How.in (part illegible), London, c. 1880. Once had four steel blades (one broken near the base) pinned into a brass handle decorated with punched design at the base and notches on the other side. Long knife-like blades with protruding sharp cutting edges which fold into the handle.

Loaned By: Loan Penfold Collection

(1999:016P)

Fleam

Fleam with plastic wood design handle, c. 1950.

Donated with object number 1999:208 (scalpel), with information reference to Middlesex Hospital (1880s) use of coal dust in wounds. "Sarah Jane Helen Dracott. Born 1870. Died 1969. Born 127 Percy Road, Shepherds Bush. My great great grandmother. When she was at the age of 15, she was taken ill, it was her appendix, she was taken to the West Middlesex Hospital where she had an operation. They cut her across her stomach from hip to hip. The scar was like looking at railway lines, because the surgeon had put coal dust over the scar. She died at the ripe old age of 99. I am her great great grandson." Told to, and later written and sent by Mr Robson to the Museum with a photo of Sarah (received in 1999).

Donated By: Mr Robson

(1999:207)

Cupping Set

A Wooden box with red velvet lining inside lid and wooden rack insert. Contains; 10 clear cupping jars with knob handle, 1 cupping jar without knob, 1 glass burning lamp with brass holder for lint wick and ground upper section of lid. Box has key to lock it, working lock.

Box is made of pine/deal - dyed dark near velvet is a stain line so may be later than first appears, ie early 20th century. The set was purchased from a German vendor and was said to be German or French

(1998:012)

Bleeding Bowl

19th century two-handled solid pewter bleeding bowl. Handles have fluted edges and raised decorative pattern.

A two-handled bleeding bowl suggests it is not British (which tend to have one handle). It was purchased in Germany. Often two handled English bowl is known as a Porriger (for porridge). Central on the bottom of bowl there are hallmarks of 'BF' (in a small square with 4mm sides) and also a flower.

(2001:012)

Cupping Box

Velvet lined wooden cupping cox, containing four glass cupping jars, a scarificator, extra blades, a lamp and bottle. Likely made by Evans likely (scarificator marked). C. 1880s.

Donated By: Ms Caroline Woodley, Mrs Diana Dyke. ref: Dr Harrison

(2002:091H)

Scarificator & Lamp

Scarificator and Brass Cupping Lamp, made by Evans, London, 1880s.

a) A twelve blade Scarificator made by Evans, London. Maker's mark has a crown above it indicating the company's status as medical instrument makers to the Queen. As a new invention in the nineteenth century, the Scarificator came to be known as 'The Modern Leech' for its use in bloodletting.

b) A Cupping or exhausting lamp. The lamp would be filled with alcohol or petrol and lit by a 'Cupper' who then held the lamp under a glass cupping jar. The flame exhausted the oxygen, thereby creating a vacuum. When the cupping jar was quickly turned onto the patient, the vacuum caused the jar to attach to the skin and for the flesh to be sucked upward into the glass jar. In 'Dry Cupping' the sucking action pulled out the patient's 'Bad Humours'. Glasses were often placed on the back to relieve the 'congested' body. Within the practice of'Wet Cupping', a patient's skin was cut with either a lancet or scarificator, then an airless cupping jar was applied. Similar to the action of a leech, so commonly used for the same purpose, the blood would be sucked from the patient into the jar attached to the skin.

Donated By: Caroline Woodley & Mrs Diana Dyke (also ref.Harrison) (grandaughters of Dr Harrison)

(2002:091H(a-b))

Cupping Jars

Four Hand Blown Water White Glass Cupping Jars and Brass Cupping Lamp presumed to be made by Evans (as lamp and scarificator), 1880s.

All are clear glass elongated dome shaped glasses with rim: c) is large with bulbous body d) and e) are small and a pair e) has a flaw f) medium size g) Brass Cupping Lamp

Donated By: Ms Caroline Woodley + Mrs Diana Dyke (great grandaughters of Dr Harrison)

(2002:091H(c-g) )

Lancet

Lancet with tortoise-shell case, made by Skid (m?)ore, Sheffield, 1880s.

Small pointed blade with two pieces of tortoise shell joined to fit it by rivet as case.

Donated By: Caroline Woodley & Diana Dyke (also ref. Harrison)

(2002:080H)

Lancet

Fleam with tortoise shell case, made by Ferris & Co., Bristol, 1880s.

Small pocket knife with thick tortoise shell cover. Folds away. End blade angled like small tomahawk. Heated tip implies was sterilised.

Donated By: Caroline Woodley & Diana Dyke (also ref. Harrison)

(2002:081H)