A fine wet cupping set by Charrière in a mahogany box.

Charrière of Paris was one of the foremost European instrument makers in the 19th Century. This cupping set comes complete with with signed cups, syringe and scarificator fitted into a quality dovetailed baise lined mahogany box.

Bleeding was a commonly applied way of correcting the imbalance of the humours thought to be the cause of underlying illness. The area to be bled would usually be prepared with oils. With the scarificator blades primed, the instrument would be applied to the a flat surface on the affected part and the blades released. Such was the speed of the cut, the process would be relatively pain free.  The bleeding would be enhanced with the application of a cup and vacuum applied using the syringe pump. Voila. A cure for the sanguine, with any one of a number of afflictions resulting from excessive blood: inflammation, lassitude, lack of energy, digestive problems, excessive moisture as in peripheral oedema, or swollen eyelids etc … and the lists went on.

• From the Phisick collection