French leech jar

A French leech jar c1780. In perfect condition.

Height: 26 cm

Leeches were used for bleeding by Syrian physicians as early as 100 BC. Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was a major figure in colonial American medicine and was an important proponent of bleeding, though unfortunately he bled George Washington who promply died, a not uncommon event with such treatments.

Jars such as this would have had a muslin cover to prevent the leeches escaping and would be carried to the patient and then applied in a process known as hirudotherapy. Interestingly the leech is making a post modern comeback in microsurgery where it is used to stimulate blood flow.