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phlebotomy - Word of the Day - Sun Nov 3, 2024

Myr

Entry posted by Myr in Word of the Day

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phlebotomy - (n) - the surgical opening or puncture of a vein in order to withdraw blood or introduce a fluid, or (historically) as part of the procedure of letting blood.

dracula dead and loving it GIF

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Dracula peforms regular unlicensed phelbotomies.

 

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drpaladin
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Here we are already slid past Halloween and Dracula and still we're struck with bloodletters.

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Paladin
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phlebotomy  is yet another word that entered English with its current meaning in the 14th century by the circuitous route of from Middle English fleobotomie,  which came from the Middle French flebothomie, which earlier came from the Late Latin phlebotomia, which the Romans had already taken from the Greek, phleb- + -tomia -tomy. A word "borrowed" down the centuries by developing language after language. 

Am I mistaken in thinking it it is related to using leaches to draw blood from patients, and that even today leaches are still used for particular medical reasons.

 
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Bill W

Who spilled the jar of leeches?  There's an old-time doctor that's looking for it, because they work for him.  

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drpaladin
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56 minutes ago, Bill W said:

Who spilled the jar of leeches?  There's an old-time doctor that's looking for it, because they work for him.  

Rumor has it they've found alternate employment around lawyers, banks, and insurance companies. They may not go back willingly.

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CarlHoliday
7 hours ago, Paladin said:

Am I mistaken in thinking it it is related to using leaches to draw blood from patients, and that even today leaches are still used for particular medical reasons.

 

For 2,500 years, medical leeches, usually Hirudo medicinalis, often had uses due to blood being one of the four humors. Use dropped off when humoral theory fell out of practice. They reentered the medical theater in the 1980s with the advent of microsurgery with their ability to locally reduce swelling in lieu of drugs that would affect the entire body.

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JamesSavik

When the phlebotomist found out I have B- blood, they called me so often, I think they should have installed a zipper for efficiency.

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