Bleeding, otherwise known as venipuncture, is the art of drawing blood from the human body. This skill has been practiced since the times before the birth of Christ, originating in the early civilizations of the ancient Egyptians and Mayans approximately 3,000 years ago. Understanding how the human body works, including the substance that flows through each individual, has continually been at the forefront of the minds of many researchers, as well as the very culture of many communities. As a result, these explorers required the use of various tools; as a way to be able to track, investigate and cleanse the body of impurities or excess fluids. The art of bloodletting was once considered horrific and repugnant, but it has become an art in which the human race has worked diligently to bring a perception of healing and understanding towards the patient. The practice of bloodletting originates from humor. Humor was a theory, later discredited, adopted by ancient Greek and Roman philosophers to explain the structure and mechanisms of the human body. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, believed that there were four elements fundamental to existence: earth, air, fire and water; these referred to four basic humors: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile. Moving further down, these humors were centered on particular organs: the brain, lungs, spleen, and gallbladder. People who became ill were expected to have an imbalance of the four humors. According to the BC Medical Journal (2010), “treatments consisted of removing excess humor by various means such as bloodletting, purging, catharsis, diuresis, and so on.” During the 3rd century, Galen, a Greek physician, emerges...... middle of document ....... Works Cited Davis, A., & Appel, T. (2010, July 7). Bloodletting instruments. Retrieved November 10, 2013, from www.gutenberg.org/files/33102/33102-h/33102-h.htmGreenstone, M.D., G. (2010). The history of bloodletting. BC Medical Journal, 52(1), 12-14. Retrieved from http://www.bcmj.org/premise/history-bloodlettingGreenstone, M.D., G. (n.d.). The history of bloodletting | BC Medical Journal. Retrieved from http://www.bcmj.org/premise/history-bloodlettingKansas Historical Society (1998, November). Interesting Stuff - Bloodletting Instruments - Kansapedia - Kansas Historical Society. Retrieved October 21, 2013, from http://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/cool-things-bloodletting-tools/10325Office of News & Communications (2000, February 18). The long and respected history of bloodletting | Duke Today Mobile. Retrieved October 21, 2013, from http://m.today.duke.edu/2000/02/blood218.html