19th century English veterinary bloodletting instrument, folding fleam with three grey metal double-edged curved 7.7 cm. blades in graduating sizes that fold into a curved brass shield; blades rotate out to almost 360'; one blade has incised name of maker.
19th century English veterinary bloodletting instrument, folding fleam with three grey metal double-edged curved 7.7 cm. blades in graduating sizes that fold into a curved brass shield; blades rotate out to almost 360'; one blade has incised name of maker.
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Donated by Dr. Martin T. Jeremias to the University of Alberta and its library; collection was then donated to the museum via Dr. Merrill Distad
The fleams used for veterinary purposes were placed over the jugular vein of the neck most commonly and inserted with the help of a fleam stick. This was a heavy wooden club used to drive the blade in with a quick motion (so the horse didn’t know what hit him).