Thumb lancets (fleams) with silver case
ED.CS.2012.10
Two thumb lancets, stamped Gardner, with mother of pearl handles and steel blades. The silver case has six compartments for fleams, and is hallmarked although the markings themselves are indistinct. The lid is engraved with what is presumably the owner's name, 'Dr. W. L. Ol_ (?)' - several of the letters have worn away.
Also included is a chamois leather bag and a list of instruments on card entitled: 'Contents of Pcoket Case of Instruments.' Whether this case contained all of the items listed is unclear as the thumb lancets are not mentioned so it could be unrelated.
A thumb lancet would have been used for bleeding a patient by making a small incision in a vein to allow controlled bleeding. When suffient blood letting had been acheived, the incision would then by stiched closed. Blood letting was a common practice up until the latter half of the nineteenth century when its efficacy was called into question.
Nineteenth century, mid
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